Paths of Destiny
by Othnieltcs
Summary: What if Yoda was right and Princess Leia was the galaxy's last hope?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Yoda scrunched his nose up with a snort. Skywalker was too much like his father – already convinced he knew better than anyone else. The vision of his friends in pain and terrible danger was no doubt horrifying, but panic was just not acceptable in the mind of a Jedi. Another week or two and Luke might have understood that more. This was one of many things he disliked about visions of the future – their complete and utter disregard for _timing_. He did not need to hear the whine of repuslorlifts to know that Luke Skywalker's X-Wing fighter was taking off, and any chance he'd had of convincing the stubborn boy not to go – small as it always had been – was lost. The boy was simply not ready to face Darth Vader, and Yoda knew he was not likely to ever return.

A ghostly figure appeared beside Yoda and sighed, its frustration evident. "That boy," muttered Obi-Wan Kenobi, "was our only hope."

"No." Yoda did not bother to hide his scowl as the spacecraft disappeared from view. "There is another."

.***********************************************************.

Luke Skywalker saw Darth Vader stretch his arm out and make a fist, and in the back of his mind he couldn't help thinking how odd it was to see such a menacing figure try to be imploring.

"Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this; it is your destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son!"

The shock of losing his right hand had been nothing compared to this. Alone, Vader's words would have meant little. But Luke's growing strength in the Force had not helped him here – he'd sensed the truth of the words the moment he'd heard them. He _was_ Vader's son.

What horrified Luke more than anything else, however, were his own feelings. He knew his first instinct should be gratitude that this monster had not raised him. But his first, primal reaction to the news, before he'd had time to think, was anger. _Fury_ that this practically all-powerful Dark Lord had left him to waste away his formative years on a moisture farm on a desert wasteland of a planet.

 _Fear, anger, aggression…the Dark Side are they._

He was missing his right hand, but perhaps he could still fight. As he reached out with the Force, he could not sense his weapon. _How far down does this shaft go?_ Luke wondered. He looked down and could not see a bottom.

Vader leaned over the rail, extending a hand out to Luke. "Come with me. It is the only way."

Luke turned back to face him, finally having made up his mind. Vader straightened, expecting capitulation. But if the light saber was lost, then the shaft might be a way out. The younger Skywalker smiled sadly. Yoda had been right; he hadn't been ready. Then he released his grip on the pipe and let Bespin's gravity take him.

.

Vader had only nanoseconds to act. That death would be preferable to a chance, however small, to make things right: this was incomprehensible to him. Could this truly be his son? He could feel the limitations of the mechanical pieces that made up so much of his body. He should not be this weary from a mere duel. He should be quicker, more agile, less reliant on brute force. All he had done over the years was a testament to his strength in the Force. Any other Jedi would have been rendered almost useless with so much of his living body gone. Despite his power, despite everything, Obi-Wan really had destroyed him that day. One stroke of a light saber had reduced him from the greatest Jedi the galaxy had ever seen, to the greatest joke the galaxy had ever seen. The Emperor knew this. The few times he had not expressed bitter disappointment, he had been quite smug. Here was a student who would _never_ be the master.

Vader realized all this, but he had never lost hope. Oh, he knew he had damned himself many times over in his service to the Empire. But he had not lost hope for the galaxy, for the dream he and Padme had so long ago. Only his death would make that dream vanish. All through the years, he had waited for the time that Emperor Palpatine would take on another apprentice, waiting for the opportunity to enlist another's aid in finally getting his revenge for the lies told to him, and for the loss of Padme. Years of waiting, but the Emperor knew a good situation when he saw one. Vader had begun to wonder if Palpatine considered himself to be immortal, and would _never_ take on another apprentice. He was truly shocked when the Emperor agreed to his suggestion that Luke could be turned to the Dark Side. He did not quite trust the Emperor's motives, but he was confident he could accomplish his own goals before whatever plans the Emperor had could be realized.

And now his one chance was falling down a ventilation shaft.

 _ **No!**_ He shoved his despair aside and let his rage flood his senses. The Emperor _must_ pay! His son _would_ be the answer! He knew Calrissian's repair crew had sabotaged the _Millennium Falcon_ so that it would never be able to leave Bespin. It was possible Luke was making a calculated move and would survive the fall. But Darth Vader had searched too long and too hard. Luke was his chance to make things right. He could not accept the chance that his son might die in such a way as this. Vader reached both arms out over the railing. This mechanical body might be clumsy, but his _will_ would not be denied. The power of the Dark Side was his!

.

Exhausted, wounded, in shock both mental and physical, Luke Skywalker struggled to keep from blacking out as he fell. There was no telling where the shaft would end up, and he knew if he allowed even a moment of unconsciousness he would be unlikely to ever wake up. So great was the struggle to stay awake, that it took him several moments to realize he had reversed direction. Too weak to fight back, he could still feel the Force in Darth Vader as he was being pulled back up. Perhaps Ben could… Luke didn't even know what a ghost might be able to do.

"Ben!" His voice was barely a whisper. "Ben, _please_ …" Nothing.

"Ben…" Still nothing. He had been warned that he would be alone in this. The railing he had fallen from came back into view, Vader leaning out over it. The Dark Lord was hunched over, as if he too were about to fall. Panic seized Luke, and in his semi-conscious state he reached out through the Force to someone he never would have thought of.

" Leia… Hear me… _Leia_!"

.

Leia Organa already had a dozen plans in place to try to intercept the bounty hunter, Boba Fett, on his way to Jabba the Hutt's palace. But she knew none of them had a very high chance of succeeding. She would never give up, though. She _would_ rescue Han, and make Jabba regret interfering with the Alliance's war with the Empire. Imperial TIE fighters were already scrambled, chasing the _Millennium Falcon_ , but she didn't think to order someone to shoot at them as she kept plotting.

A sudden tickle at the edge of her mind caused her to freeze. She could almost hear someone calling out to her. Was it…?

"Luke," she whispered.

The touch came back to her mind, but this time she was ready and curiosity got the best of her before she realized what was happening.

 _She was back on Bespin, being carried in someone's arms. She looked up and saw the black mask of Darth Vader himself. No! She had escaped! What had happened? She tried to scream, but nothing came out. She tried to move, but for some reason she was just too weary._

 _"Ben… " she felt herself mutter. Why? She'd never called the man that. She knew him by his true name, Obi-Wan. Besides, she'd seen him die – struck down by Darth Vader._

 _"Yoda…" Again she said something that didn't make any sense to her. What had happened?_

 _"Leia!"_

The shock of her own name made her sit up, accidentally knocking her head against Lando's. "Ow," they said in unison. Lando stared at her, probably thinking she was insane. Right then, she wasn't sure herself. She blinked as she glanced around the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_. She was sitting on the floor of the cockpit - apparently she had fallen out of her chair. What had just happened? It seemed so real. But it was Luke who had insisted on calling the old Jedi "Ben", not her…

Finally she thought she understood. Dream or vision, real or imagined, for those few moments she had not seen through her own eyes, but Luke Skywalker's.

She leaped to her feet, grabbing Chewbacca by the arm. "We've got to go back!"

Lando was incredulous. "What?"

Chewbacca roared, agreeing with Lando for the first time since they'd met.

"Luke is in trouble!"

Lando tried a different approach. "What about those fighters?"

The Wookie roared, gesturing toward a screen that showed a number of blips converging on their position.

"Chewie, just do it!"

"What about Vader?"

Leia raised her fist, seriously about to strike the man.

He must have seen something in her eyes. "All right, all right, all right!" Lando had barely spoken the words before both he and Leia were clutching at their seats as Chewie turned the _Falcon_ around.

.

Luke was no longer able to stop himself from drifting in and out of consciousness, although he knew he was never out for more than a few moments at a time. He should have listened.

 _"Not ready are you!" Yoda's wrinkled face scowled up at him._

"Luke!"

He had blacked out again! It was getting harder to wake himself.

"Luke!"

With a groan, he lifted his head. That was no dream. Leia? She'd actually _heard_ him?

His stomach leaped as he saw that Vader had his light saber out. No! She had to get away! He turned in the direction the Dark Lord was facing and there she was, just rushing through a doorway with her blaster out.

She fired three quick shots, all of which glanced harmlessly off the Sith Lord's weapon. Luke hadn't recovered his voice yet, but his mind was screaming at her. _What are you thinking? You're going to be killed!_ Something apparently told her to duck, and a chunk of metal whipped over her head. A shot from her blaster disintegrated the thing, but as she turned back to Vader, Luke saw his father's hand twitch and he instinctively tried to reach out to his friend using the Force. Panic gripped Luke as he struggled to sit up, only to watch Leia take a glancing blow to her shoulder. The Force was not responding to him at all.

.

Darth Vader was _tired_. The duel with his son had taken far more out of him than he had expected. After lifting his son out of the ventilation shaft, he only had enough energy to lift small objects to hurl at the princess. How had she known that first one was coming? It was almost as if…

He looked down at his son, struggling to sit up. He looked back at the Princess, scrambling to her feet. She fired her weapon at him again, and this time she had to duck as the blast was deflected in such a way that it came right back at her.

 _Yes._ This close, he could _feel_ her. The Force was not awakened in her when he had been torturing her mere hours before, but it was certainly with her now. He strode forward, raising his light saber. She could _not_ be allowed to threaten the rule of him and his son!

From behind Vader came a desperate howl. "Nooooo!"

Leia flew out of the room, and a massive pipe fixture broke loose from the ceiling and crashed to the floor, blocking the doorway. Vader turned to Luke, but the boy had passed out from the effort. The Dark Lord growled, knowing that if he tried to lift that pipe in his current state, he could very well suffer the same level of exhaustion.

An Ugnaught technician timidly piped up in its alien language from behind a piece of equipment. Though Vader, like all Imperials, had never learned any other language but Basic, he understood it was informing him that the chamber was ready.

.

Leia awoke to Lando's irate voice.

"… _damn_ lucky I was able to find this room before any stormtroopers spotted us!"

The sounds Chewbacca made in reply were hardly soothing, but Leia took comfort in the Wookie's presence. He was her closest link to Han, for the moment.

"Dear oh dear, I am not at all sure such threats are appropriate to the situation!"

Leia couldn't help smiling at Threepio's comment. But the smile only lasted a moment. "Where's Luke?"

"Leia!"

Artoo started rolling back and forth, chirping and beeping with shrill insistence. Threepio leaned down toward him. "A message? From Master Luke?"

"Play it," Leia commanded immediately.

"I don't think we have time…" She hushed Lando as a faint hologram of Luke appeared.

"Leia, Han… If you're seeing this, then I have failed. Most likely I'm dead." Leia shook her head. She recognized the room she'd found him and Vader in – the same room where Han had been frozen in carbonite. A chill ran through her as she realized Vader had always intended to take Luke alive. But the hologram was not done.

"I know you and the Alliance will be busier than ever now, but I need to ask a final favor. I need you to send a message to a system called Dagobah…"

"Really, Leia, you should send someone else." Lando wore his most condescending smile for this speech. "The place could be dangerous. Someone who's handy with a blaster, but also has a bit of charm and flair…"

"You may address me as _Princess_ , Calrissian. And there is no way I'm trusting this to anyone else, not even Chewie. Not even Han, if he were here." Leia frowned, resting a hand on R2. "I don't know who these people are that Luke found, but they could be very useful to the Alliance. I need to see for myself how best to deal with them."

"You've never even _flown_ a snubfighter before!"

Leia looked up at Luke's X-wing. "Artoo is more than capable of keeping me on the correct course and initiating the landing sequence. That is all I'll need."

The droid whistled and chirped in agreement.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather take the _Millennium Falcon_ , your Highness?"

"No, Threepio. Artoo is the only one of us they've seen before, and they're familiar with Luke's ship. Besides, as Lando pointed out, I'm hardly ready to handle combat in this thing. I'll need the _Falcon_ to run interference for me." She smirked as Lando groaned. "Now help me up."

Once seated in the fighter, she pulled on Luke's helmet - it fit surprisingly well - and strapped herself in. "Ready, Artoo?"

.

The face frozen in carbonite stared straight down. No grimace as the cold took hold, only a grim determination. It made Vader proud. The resemblance was startling, but also frustrating. He had hoped to see more of Padme in his son's face. No, the only living person now who had ever made him think of Padme was the rebel princess from Alderaan. Even that was more of a stubborn cast to her eyes than any physical…

No, that was not quite right. The princess _did_ have some physical characteristics. Taller perhaps, with a more masculine jawline, but other than that she could almost be…

Foolishness. Padme had died after giving birth. He had _seen_ it. She had given birth to Luke and had died. Because he had failed. Because Palpatine had lied. Still, he had some new missions for Imperial Intelligence. The Force was with the princess, and Vader could _not_ allow her to jeopardize his New Empire.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

.

As Leia stared out of the X-wing's canopy at the thick fog surrounding her, she wondered what could ever have brought Luke here in the first place. Even Artoo couldn't be completely sure where they were headed in this mess, and there was nothing Leia could do about it. She was _not_ used to this level of frustration.

Artoo's chirping in her headset finally snapped her out of her thoughts. "Ok, just take her down as gently as you can." Before the last word was out of her mouth, the X-wing came to a sudden, shuddering halt. Leia hit her head on the canopy, and it started lifting as if her helmet had opened it.

"Thanks for the warning." She had meant to be sarcastic, but Artoo's reply was cheerful. Even he had his limitations as far as companionship, it seemed. Han would have smirked and given her a snide remark right back.

She climbed out of the X-wing, immediately baffled by the landscape. Had Luke's mind snapped under all the pressure? She had been asked to go to a deserted swamp.

"You will find what you seek here."

The voice from behind her made her jump. Before she knew what she was doing, she had drawn her blaster, turned, and fired.

There before her, looking annoyed but unharmed, stood the glowing image of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"You? What… But I…" Leia grimaced and stopped stammering, her face red as she put away her blaster.

The old Jedi shook his head in disappointment. "Strange places can set the nerves on edge, but I would have expected more control from you."

"Yeah, sorry. Just don't tell me you're not really dead."

"Oh, I am."

"Great! I feel so much better." She slumped down on a boulder - the only solid thing in sight, other than Luke's ship.

Obi-Wan sighed. "The Force transcends a mere individual's life span," he patiently tried to explain.

Leia tried not to stare at the apparition. "Sure. Surrounds us, penetrates us, binds us all together… My father had little involvement with the Jedi Order, but even he knew that much."

The ghost smiled. "You know many things, young lady. You've had quite the advantage over Luke in that regard. But there is far more left for you to learn."

Leia gasped, ashamed that she had forgotten for a moment what had brought her to this desolate place. "Luke! He's gone… Vader took him. Are _you_ who I was supposed to tell?"

The apparition sighed, apparently not hearing her question. "Luke is brave and strong, but I am afraid it will only be a matter of time before the Emperor and Vader turn him to the Dark Side of the Force."

"Well, we have to do something!"

"Mmmm, yes," said a new voice, comically high-pitched and cracking, yet serious in its inflection. Leia scrambled to her feet as a stooped, hooded figure stepped out from behind the rock she was sitting on. It waved a little cane in the air as it continued. "Always something to be done, hmmm? Always a need to fill. Hmph."

Leia took a step back from the hooded figure. "My duties have always been many, even before the Alliance. A Princess' life is not her own." Why Leia felt the need to defend herself to this tiny creature, she was not sure.

"Yes," it whispered in reply. " _Responsibility_ , Organa taught you. Learned well, you did. But some things he could not teach."

Leia resisted the urge to smack the hood away from this smug little thing's face. "How do _you_ know him? He knew more about things that mattered than anyone I've ever known. I'd never have been able to help the Alliance without him!"

"Watched you, I have. Mmm, watched and wondered. One destined for power, the other for glory." The hooded creature placed its cane on the ground and leaned on it with both hands. "But why not both? And which was which?"

Leia winced at the growing knot in her stomach. "You're not making any sense."

"Listening with your mind you are. Not with your heart."

" _That_ makes even _less_ sense! What couldn't my father teach me, if you know so much?"

"The ways of the Force. The ways of the Jedi."

Leia threw her hands in the air. "Well of _course_ my father was no Jedi. But that made him no less of a great man!"

"No less," the tiny figure agreed.

"And besides, who _would_ ever teach such things? Obi-Wan is dead… sort of. There is no one left."

"So certain are you?"

"Wait. Why would you even bring that up? Jedi had some special connection to the galaxy, didn't they? I mean, they were _born_ different."

"Mmm, indeed. Often in the family did such ability run. But not always."

"Are you saying…" Leia frowned and changed her question. "Who _are_ you, anyway?"

"Ah-hahaha!" The creature's laughter made Leia roll her eyes. But when it straightened, the hooded person was serious again. "Finally, the right question you ask." The creature pulled back its hood, revealing a green face with big bulging eyes, large fox-like ears, a wrinkly forehead and a few straggly hairs sticking up. "Yoda, my name is."

" _Jedi Master_ Yoda?!"

"In the past, I have held such a title."

Leia leaped to her feet, drawing her blaster in one smooth motion. The creature's eyes widened even further and its ears flattened back against its head. "My father told me many stories about the great and wise Yoda. Including the one where he died on Kashyyk in the Clone Wars."

Leia yelped as the blaster was torn from her grasp.

"Tell you everything, stories do _not_." As the last word left the creature's mouth Leia herself was swept up in the air. "Conceal, they can. Truth, sometimes, must hide _behind_ words. Know this well, you do. Mmm, very well. The Rebel Alliance is _strong_ because of deception."

"S – stop! What are you doing? Put me down!"

"Hmmm? Who has done this to you? The one who is not Yoda? Hmph."

Leia felt herself start to rotate upside-down. "Hey! Put me _down_!" In her sudden flash of anger, she _felt_ something push back at the little green creature.

The creature took one small step back, looked up at her and nodded. "Good," it muttered. A moment later, Leia was sitting in the muddy ground of the swamp.

"Often I wonder," the creature mused as Leia's hand slipped in the mud, "The things we demand, they are not what we want. Why?"

Leia's other hand slipped, and she could feel herself start to sink deeper into the sucking mud. Now she'd had enough. A scream of frustration rang through the swamp, and before she even knew what she was doing, the rock she'd been sitting on earlier was flying through the air.

The only thing more startling to Leia than the rock's flight was the place where it stopped. Barely three inches from the little green creatures head, the rock simply sat in the air. The creature had his hand up almost as if he'd caught it.

"Hmmm," it grunted. "Quickly, you learn. Perhaps _too_ quickly."

The mud made squelching noises as Leia sank a little deeper. "All right, _Jedi Master_ Yoda." With a sigh, she reached her hands out toward him. "A little help here. Please?"

.

"The boy has seen Yoda."

Vader still could not quite believe it. "Yes, my master."

"This explains much."

The Sith Lord was silent, thinking about how taxing the fight with Luke had been. He'd been happier thinking it was just because of his son's raw talent.

"But it does _not_ explain the new disturbance in the Force."

"It is the princess, my master."

"Aaahhh, yes. **Yes** _._ A pity you did not destroy her when you had the chance."

Vader did not need to look back up to feel the Emperor's glare. He knew the blame for the fiasco that resulted in the Death Star's destruction had fallen on him, despite the fact that letting her escape and lead them to the rebel base had always been the plan. It was Luke that had destroyed it anyway, not the princess. That was when things had started to change. The Emperor did not discuss it, but Vader knew that his vision was growing blurred. Soon Palpatine would find he had lost control altogether. And it all came back to Luke. His son was the key – to _everything_.

Which made what the Dark Lord knew was coming next all the more galling.

"You will go to Dagobah."

"Yoda will know I am coming."

"Yes, and you will _crush_ him and his new padawan, for the glory of the Empire!"

"Yes, my master."

Palpatine was almost sure Vader was being sent on a wild-goose chase. But he did not get where he was by taking unnecessary chances. More to the point, he would be free from any familial bonds interfering with the training of his new, soon-to-be superior, apprentice.

And perhaps something could be learned of this new force to be reckoned with. That girl was now being trained by Yoda, he had _forseen_ it. Logic would have dictated such regardless. And if Vader did not find her, she would eventually come to him. There were always uses for one such as her. Two Hands, after all, are better than one. Yes, it was all becoming clear now.

Regarding the Emperor's Hand, Palpatine reminded himself she was no longer needed at the palace of Jabba the Hutt. It would not do to let her be idle during the training of his new apprentice. Perhaps she could accompany Vader to Dagobah. Yes, their mutual dislike made the thought of them tramping through swampland together amusing. More importantly, a threat like Mara Jade would keep Vader's thoughts on his mission and away from young Skywalker.

"One more thing, my apprentice."

.

Lando Calrissian shut his eyes, trying to remember when his life had been so much more stable as a wandering gambler. So far, the biggest gamble of his life had not paid off at all. "Three, huh? And you did mean to say _hours_ , not _days_ , right?"

The Wookie snuffled, probably laughing, and Lando sighed. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. "Just thought I'd check. Days it is." Where was that little astromech R-2 unit when you really needed it? _Three days_ to fix the hyperdrive!

Getting the Princess past the squadrons of Imperial TIE fighters had been nightmare enough. But then, just as they were ready to make their own escape, Lando experienced the hollow feeling of a bad card showing up as he'd punched the hyperdrive and nothing happened. Now he was stuck on the back end of the worst sector of Cloud City with a homicidal Wookie and a pessimistic protocol droid that would not shut up, expecting an Imperial patrol to find them at any moment and haul them back to Darth Vader.

At least Chewbacca had the repairs to keep him occupied. Lando knew he was still taking the blame for losing track of Han, even though it was the Wookie trying to kill him and then the princess' suicidal turn-around that really let the bounty hunter get away. And it was no secret whose contract Boba Fett was under, but from what he'd heard of Jabba the Hutt, the thing's palace was likely to be as heavily guarded as a fortress.

"You in there! Identify yourselves!"

Lando knew the sound of a stormtrooper's bark well enough by now. Looks like Chewbacca was not going to get his three days to fix the hyperdrive after all.

Threepio poked his golden head out of the _Falcon_ 's boarding ramp. "We're doomed," he said helpfully.

.

"Coming, they are."

The statement was made quite calmly, but it was still enough to interrupt Leia's wobbly float and send her to the ground with a loud squelch. Trying not to grit her teeth, she still had to ask. "Who is coming?"

"Vader. And… another."

"Luke?"

Yoda shook his head, still floating serenely in his meditation trance. "Hidden, Skywalker is. Creating shadows over what should be seen, the Emperor's greatest talent is."

Leia considered the hint of painful regret in Yoda's voice. Clearly what was hidden by Palpatine was of prime concern to the little Jedi Master. If there was one thing the Emperor seemed to know, it was how to maximize his strengths.

Yoda went on, mostly musing to himself. Leia listened closely anyway, trying not to let the wet ground bother her. Master Yoda would not be speaking if he thought she should not hear.

"Pupil, but not apprentice. Interesting. Jealousy, is this one driven by. More powerful than Vader realizes. Hmmm."

He finally opened his eyes and looked at Leia. "Comfortable, are you?"

Leia blushed and scowled, feeling the soggy mud seeping through her robe. "Not exactly, Master Yoda."

"Mmm-hmmm-hmm!" Leia was learning to _really hate_ Yoda's little laughs. "Guard your thoughts well, you can. But not yet when distracted you are. No, confront them we will _not_."

"So, what? We run and hide?"

"Yes."

"You can't hide forever, Master Yoda."

"Hmph. Fortunate, I am then, that forever I do not have."

"That's not…"

Yoda held up a three-fingered hand as he settled to the ground on his feet. "Come in time, the moment for confrontation will. _Patience_ you must have. If ready you are not, _all_ you have worked for will be undone."

Leia sighed, knowing he meant her work with the Rebel Alliance as well as her brief time training with him. "I understand."

"Stronger than Skywalker's, your will must be. More important than action is timing."

"So what do we do?"

"Worry, you should not. Prepared, I have."

.

A lone prison cell in the Emperor's palace on the Imperial Capital of Coruscant echoed with a voice that took on an oddly high-pitched, almost whiny tone in an effort to sound empathetic.

"Your 'friends' are not coming for you. I have _seen_ it, as I am certain you have as well. It seems they have things they consider more important. Clearly they are not willing to make the same kind of sacrifices for you as you were for them. I wish I could say it surprises me, but then _you_ always knew their priorities were different. Few things are more terrible than being alone."

The Emperor's voice droned on, but Luke was barely listening. All he could think of was the sound of Palpatine's voice. So full of false sympathy. So full of itself. So sure the galaxy revolved around him.

Luke _hated_ him. So. Much.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jan Ors stood outside Kyle Katarn' s bacta tank, scowling as she tried not to think about the time being wasted. She couldn't help worrying about how worn-out he looked, even under heavy sedation. Facing General Mohc and his Dark Troopers took a heavy toll on him, and not for the first time she wished Kyle did not feel like he had to do everything himself. He was courting a young death, and, despite his uncanny luck, it would eventually be wooed. Jan knew she needed to figure out something to do about it, but for now the Alliance needed his suicidal efforts. The _Galaxy_ needed them. Even this treatment wasn't quite sufficient for a full recovery. Jan really should have taken him someplace that had a serious medical facility. The _Moldy Crow_ was a great little ship, but there was only so much room on a personal transport, no matter how heavily modified.

At this rate, by the time they found the Rebel Alliance Fleet's rendezvous point and arranged for payment, the Alliance would have forgotten all about the mercenary contract! As she clenched her fists at the thought, a green light on her wrist comm started blinking. Finally, Jan allowed herself a brief smile. They had the new coordinates.

She glanced at her recuperating partner one more time and decided she would ask for double – no, triple – the original price of this contract. Perhaps that would even be enough to encourage Kyle to go someplace nice and relax for a while.

.**************************************************************

Her dark red hair almost glowed in the grey mist that shrouded the swamps of Dagobah. Why the Emperor thought Vader needed her help¸ she had no idea. But he needed her here - there was no question about it - and that was enough. She had not been back to Coruscant – the Emperor had somehow discovered a technique to speak directly to her mind through the Force. Others might have been disturbed by such a thing, but this had been her life since she was a toddler. Aside from a few fuzzy memories, the Emperor was the closest thing to family she had ever known. Her name was Mara Jade, but she was happy to be merely the Emperor's Hand.

Even in the Empire, very few knew her by name or title. This was the Emperor's wish, of course, so here she was Councilor Delarra, aide to a Corellian Senator. Every Imperial soldier accepted that nothing else about her or what she was doing here was any of their business.

"They are not here." Vader knew who and what she was, of course.

"How can you be so sure? You can really just… _feel_ them?" Mara had never quite believed all of Vader's claims. She could use the Force too, after all – sort of. Surely the Emperor would have known if she could do more, but she still disliked the idea of abilities beyond hers.

"It is not a matter of training, it is a matter of instinct. You would have known too, if you had thought to listen to your feelings."

Mara snorted. "Feelings can lie."

"Perhaps you listen to the wrong ones."

"I'm going to look in that cave. Unless you have any more sage advice?"

Vader waved her off, and she resisted the urge to stick her foot out and trip the Dark Lord of the Sith. Lecture her like a schoolgirl? He didn't know _half_ the things she'd done in service to the Emperor! Even wasting all that time on Tattooine, that stupid wasteland of a planet. She would have bet the Imperial Palace that _Lord Vader_ had never had to visit such a place in his life.

The cave had a heaviness to it that Mara thought was oddly familiar, though she could not have said why. It reminded her of the Emperor's presence, which comforted her a little. Approaching the cave felt almost like she was coming home.

After a few steps, a familiar sight greeted her. The thought that it was strange to see the Emperor on his throne melted away almost immediately, and she smiled as she approached it. He had _never_ had to discipline her for failure, and there was no reason to think this time was any different. As he started to speak to her, however, his attention was diverted to one side. Mara stopped and watched a tall young man wearing a black robe approach her Master. She couldn't see the young man's face – only that he had short, light blond hair. The Emperor smiled and greeted the young man, and then they both turned to look at her. She recognized the face: this was Skywalker, the target she had been sent to Jabba's Palace to kill.

Skywalker gave her an evil grin, then pulled the hood of his robe up and turned back to the Emperor. In an instant, a light saber was in his hand, and before Mara could react the young man struck the Emperor down where he sat.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Mara's grief and anger surged through her, just as her Master had taught her, as she activated her own light saber. Skywalker turned to face her, but he could not withstand the fury of her attack. With swift, savage strikes she backed him against the wall of the cave, where his slight stumble was all she needed to run him through. She watched in satisfaction as his body fell to the floor, but as he fell, the hood of his cloak fell back, and Mara had a momentary glimpse of a face. Not Skywalker's, but her own.

Her startled cry echoed off the cavern walls as she shook off the vision.

 _Ah, the Dark Side has deemed you worthy, my Hand._

It was the Emperor. Rarely did he pay attention to what she saw or felt on a mission. She wondered what the vision meant, knowing she did not have to speak.

 _That, you must learn for yourself. But know this: young Skywalker is a threat no longer. Even now his hatred for me boils over – soon there will be no going back for him. He will be_ _ **mine**_ _, just like Vader._

Mara shrugged; she never had been the meditating type. If there was any meaning to this thing, it would have to come to her while she was busy.

.

"Lord Vader, I think we've found something."

Vader took another moment to survey the tiny hut in the middle of the swamp. After all these years, it still amused him how the old Jedi prided themselves on their shows of humility. "What is it?"

"I can't say I've seen anything like it before, my Lord. An old-fashioned recording, maybe?"

Vader turned, seeing a small object resting in the officer's palm, and snatched it away. The soldier was absolutely correct – it was a Jedi holocron. "What is your name?"

"C-Craydon, my lord."

It was not often an Imperial recruit learned to think so clearly. Vader would have to keep an eye on this one. "You would be wise, Craydon, to forget what you found here."

"Yes, of course, my Lord."

"Leave me. And make certain I am not disturbed."

"At once, Lord Vader."

The Dark Lord turned the holocron over in his hand. It was not like Yoda to simply forget something. He had to assume this had been left for him to find. The likelihood that a simple holocron could be rigged to cause any harm was laughable, but still Vader hesitated. Only one subject could give him a premonition this foreboding, and he was tempted to toss it into the swamp rather than face it. But if he could see _her_ face one more time…

He activated the holocron and immediately regretted it. There was Padme, just as his visions long ago had predicted – dying. Even through the pain of childbirth, Vader could see that the light in her eyes was almost completely gone. Chills ran through limbs long gone as he watched her screams. A hand came into view to touch her forehead, and rage consumed Vader as a familiar face came into view. How _dare_ Obi-Wan usurp his place by her side!

The sound of a baby's cry cleared his head somewhat, and he heard Padme gasp out a single word. "Luke," he echoed, the mask stripping the utterance of all emotion. He hadn't known that name had been _her_ choice.

The woman in the hologram screamed once more. Once he had seen what it contained, Vader had intended to deactivate the hologram before it reached the point of her death. To his horror, he found that he simply could not look away. The Jedi order _deserved_ to be destroyed for allowing this to happen! Yoda… he would never forgive the former Grand Master for counseling him to let go of his fear for Padme. The Emperor had promised the Dark Side would prevent this! He too _must_ be held accountable. He would never forgive any of them, not the galaxy, not the Force itself, for what was done to him!

Again a baby's cry interrupted his thoughts, and Vader supposed the holocron was set on a loop. Probably it was intended to torment him with Padme's final screams endlessly echoing through the swamps. Again the woman in the hologram struggled to find breath.

"Leia," Vader heard her whisper.

.

As far as Mara Jade could tell, the whole trip was a waste of time. The targets were long gone, and the cave could keep its self-evident visions and warnings – she would deal with Skywalker and anything else when the time came.

She came upon an officer looking bored, and knew she had found who she was looking for. "Where's Vader, Lieutenant?"

"Lord Vader is not to be disturbed, Councilor."

"Did you know, Lieutenant, that there are over twenty different ways to kill a man with one blow from a distance no smaller than the one currently between us?"

"Well… I…."

"I don't have time for this. I need to tell him what I've found so we can all get _off_ this slimy mudhole!"

The man stepped aside. "Just over that hill, Councilor."

Mara was impressed. Most junior officers would have forced her to resort to violence. Smart kid.

As she approached the spot where Vader secluded himself, she thought she could hear a woman's screams. Could he have actually found someone here? She spied his black cape and clearly heard a hoarse female voice whisper "Leia". _That name sounds familiar_ , Mara thought as a holographic image came into view. Two young men faced the recording device; a rather dark man – handsome, with black hair and a neatly trimmed goatee – and a more rugged looking fellow with reddish-blond hair. She recognized the dark man as Senator Bail Organa, much younger than he looked the few times she had seen him in person before his death. An odd green creature with ridiculous ears had its back to the recording device, and they were all looking at a young woman, apparently on her deathbed. "My wife and I always wanted a girl," the image of Organa was saying, and suddenly Mara knew where she'd heard the name "Leia" before. So the Princess of Alderaan was adopted? That hardly seemed to matter now that Alderaan was so much particle dust, but perhaps the information could be useful to the Empire somehow.

"Lord Vader…" The Dark Lord whirled around to face her before she could finish. Strange, she had never seen Vader _startled_ by someone else's presence before.

 **"** **LEAVE** ME!"

Just like that, she was lifted into the air by the Force and hurled across the swamp. She tried focusing her rage, her hate, even her fear the way the Emperor told her she should, but she felt none of that – only bewilderment. And curiosity. What could unwind the Emperor's Prized Pupil so thoroughly? She would have to get her hands on that hologram somehow.

A tree finally ended Mara's tour of the swamp, and despite the considerable distance traveled, she still hit it with enough force to knock her unconscious.

.

Craydon heard the shout, but he didn't see the woman leave Vader's presence. He heard squelching footsteps and turned to see the Dark Lord of the Sith approaching.

"You were to make sure I was not disturbed, Craydon."

The officer started to explain, but found his throat muscles too constricted to speak.

"The Empire has little use for soldiers who cannot obey one simple, direct order."

Craydon's body fell to the ground, his neck completely crushed.

Vader had to wonder how much of the holocron Mara had managed to see. He was tempted to kill her just in case, but the Emperor would be far too curious at best, or would seek retribution in the form of Luke's death at worst.

So… he had a daughter as well. Twins. Why hadn't the possibility occurred to him? He could feel the old conflict within him beginning to stir again – his Master was not likely to see any use for Leia whether she could be turned or not. And the years of leadership and the strength of her convictions made her much less likely to turn to the Dark Side than her brother anyway.

Could it be a hoax, intended to unsettle him? That would have to be his own explanation if the Emperor were to somehow hear about this and wish to discuss it. A shaky story, to be sure, and largely the product of wishful thinking. Still, if there was one thing the Emperor was always willing to believe, it was the possibility of someone trying to deceive him.

.************************************************************************

"Yes, Artoo, it _is_ good to be back with the fleet. I've missed everyone too." Leia smiled at the droid's next comments. "Yes, even Threepio."

She shook her head in amazement as she watched Yoda's tiny vehicle land from the deck of the Mon Calamari cruiser. She should have known he'd had a starship hidden somewhere in the swamp, but it just didn't look large enough to be real. "Once we contact Chewie and the others, we can start making plans for rescuing Han." Leia wasn't sure how such an operation would fit in to Yoda's training, but she would _make_ it fit. Somehow.

"Princess?"

Leia turned to find a soldier standing in salute. "At ease, trooper. What is it?"

"A de-briefing. Mon Mothma requested your presence there as soon as she heard you arrived."

Leia nodded. "As soon as my… Tutor joins me, we will go."

"Tutor, princess?"

"That's right, soldier. I'm sure he will be just as interested as I."

When they arrived at the briefing room, a serious young man was addressing the leaders of the Alliance. He stopped and looked up at her as she entered, but Leia met his eyes and motioned for him to continue.

"General Mohk's personal ship, the _Arc Hammer_ , was the final stage of production. Now that it's been destroyed, there should be no more attacks from those 'Dark Troopers' of his."

"How do you know there were no other Dark Troopers deployed while you were doing all this?" someone asked.

The young man smiled. "Well, I don't. That's why Lieutenant Ors, here, so thoughtfully uploaded their full schematics into the Alliance database." He spread his hands to present the young woman standing next to him, who gave a polite bow. Leia could see her give the man a quick scowl, however, and had to grin at the girl's modesty.

Leia could _feel_ Mon Mothma - the Alliance's political leader and one of its founders – approach, and turned to greet her.

Mothma indicated the young man at the front of the room. "Impressive accomplishments for one so young. Almost reminds you of someone else, doesn't he?"

Leia held back a wince. She had almost forgotten Luke, with so many other things to worry about. "I think I've seen him before. Who is he?"

"Kyle Katarn is the boy's name. Jan Ors is his business partner. Worth every credit of the ridiculous rates they're charging."

That _did_ remind Leia of someone, but not Luke. "Perhaps I can use his help. But first I'll need to see Chewbacca. Where is he?"

Mothma looked at her. "With you, along with General Solo, as I recall. You all evacuated Hoth together, did you not?"

Leia gave Yoda a wide-eyed glance and received a nod in return. Chewie was in trouble. Now that she stopped to wonder about him, she could _feel_ it. "They may not have made it out of Bespin." If that Calrissian creep had betrayed them _again_ … !

"Control us, feelings will – if control them first, we do not."

Mothma raised an eyebrow. "Wise words, though strong feelings often rise for good reason."

Leia smiled. "Master Yoda, this is Mon Mothma, Chief of State of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Chief Mothma, may I introduce Jedi Master Yoda?"

"Jedi Master? Please do not take this the wrong way, but opponents of the Emperor and Darth Vader have found Jedi Masters in their midst to be a very mixed blessing in the past."

"Correct, you are. Long we cannot stay. But called for, a _field exercise_ may be." He grinned up at Leia. "First, however, a new skill you must learn."

.

This was all his counterpart's fault. Every time they separated – every _single_ time – nothing but calamity followed. Yes, R2-D2 had much to answer for. Abandoning C-3PO to imprisonment in Cloud City for a second time! The human and the Wookie were getting weaker by the day – food was not delivered often. Threepio suspected the guards usually forgot. Even more alarmingly, the protocol droid's joints were beginning to show distinct signs of rust! Left here to rot – how typical. At least he was still in one piece this time… So far.

.***************************************************************************

Luke _had_ to get out of this cell. But the Emperor would be expecting that. He had to do it in his own time, on his own terms. The Force would show him when the time was right.

He rarely thought of leaving Coruscant anymore. He knew better than to believe anything the Emperor said, but either his friends had learned to go on without him, or they were beyond anyone's help by now. He had but one way to help the galaxy – _kill_ the Emperor. In the unlikely event he survived such a feat, he could find a way out then. Every time Luke tried to meditate, he found his thoughts turning to the Emperor. How much the galaxy _needed_ Palpatine's death. How desperately Luke wanted to KILL HIM.

"I'm sorry, Ben," Luke muttered aloud, his voice echoing through the empty cell block. "But I don't know what else to feel anymore." In a galaxy where Palpatine ruled, what else could be felt by a reasonable person but hate? Pure hatred for all the evil being done every day in the name of order. Luke would stop it all. _Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has forseen this. It is your destiny!_

Luke made a fist with his new, artificial hand. Then he released it, watching the fingers spread as if they were his natural ones. Vader was right.

.

Leia hesitated at the mouth of the cave. This had to be the one. She could _feel_ the energy in it, almost as if it were calling to her.

Inside were crystal formations of all shapes and sizes. They glowed green and blue, shining brightly even though there was no apparent light source. For a while she searched, deciding she liked the blue better, and looked for the brightest blue formation she could find. But a small glow around eye-level caught her attention, and she realized there was a ledge that seemed to reach back some distance. With help from the Force, she leaped onto it. The crystal formations up there were smaller and relatively dim. Disappointed, she turned to jump back down, and gasped. Up in a corner to her left, she could _just_ make out a different glow. A violet color. She jumped to another ledge, then another until she could finally see the way to the violet crystals. They also were fairly dim, but the ledge led to a tunnel that curved to the right. She had to crawl to get through it, but she wanted to see what was hidden there.

At the end of the tunnel, hidden behind a violet formation much brighter than the rest, she could barely make out a hint of yet another glow – a glint of silver. It shone brightly, almost white with the metallic silvery hint. It was blinding, but Leia thought of the white robes that represented her status as Princess of Alderaan, and the silver jewelry that had been gifted to her to represent her station, and she knew she could accept no other crystal for her weapon. Reaching out to the silver formation with the Force, she found the right place to tap to make a crystal break off, exactly the size that Master Yoda had specified. "For Alderaan," she whispered with a smile.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Wedge Antilles glanced out the cockpit of his Z-95 Headhunter, otherwise known as X-Wing snubfighter. An uglier ship he couldn't remember seeing, but as long as it was escorted by Rogue Squadron, the _Moldy Crow_ would be acting as his wingman.

Wedge had been to plenty of places whose names had nothing to do with the actual environment. Some places even seemed to have a good deal of sarcasm in their names - so it was refreshing to see that Cloud City was, literally, a city in the midst of clouds.

"Look sharp, rogues." It wasn't well known yet, but this place recently acquired a significant Imperial garrison, complete with TIE fighter squadrons. In fact, such an uneventful trip to this point naturally made Wedge extra suspicious. He wasn't alone in feeling that way.

"Something's wrong here." That would be the pilot he was escorting – Ors. Clearly this wasn't _her_ first Krayt hunt either. It _was_ her first time working with a squadron, however.

"Cut the chatter, Rogue-2." That designation always went to Wedge's wingman. Normally that would be Tycho Celchu, but rather than be left behind, Celchu had volunteered to join the "ground team". Including Tycho, that made the strike team a grand total of four. Going up against an Imperial garrison. Wedge took it all in stride, though. This was hardly the first time he had been around insanity being proposed and then acted upon. He'd been the source of his share of crazy ideas, for that matter. _I just hope they know what they're doing_.

The moment they were all waiting for was almost anticlimactic.

"Coming in from behind." That was Rogue-7, Hobbie Klivian.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Wedge barked out. Immediately the formation broke, X-wings dipping and swerving in apparent chaos. Commander Antilles was satisfied to watch the _Moldy Crow_ dive sharply and accelerate toward Cloud City. As planned, he himself climbed above the action, following Ors' ship like a guardian angel. He wished his squadron luck as he heard the chatter of the X-wings engaging the Imperials.

For a time, he wondered if he was even needed. Finally a pair of TIEs swooped in from the _Moldy Crow_ 's right side. As he dove to engage the pair, he noticed two more Imperial fighters racing toward the transport head-on. Jan Ors fired the _Moldy Crow_ 's hidden weapons, vaporizing one of the TIEs immediately. Ors rolled her ship on its right side, evading the fire of the other enemy heading toward her. Wedge grinned as he lined up his own shot, taking advantage of the confusion to shoot down one of the TIEs coming from the side.

The _Moldy Crow_ was deceptively fast, turning tightly enough for Jan to blast the other TIE coming at her from the side before Wedge had finished his own turn. The lone remaining TIE had finally spotted him, and it took more than a few fancy jukes for Wedge to evade the incoming fire. As Antilles climbed sharply to try to shake the enemy, Ors came back around one more time and blasted it out of the sky.

"Good shooting, Rogue-2!"

"Next time, try to keep up!"

Wedge had a good chuckle as they sped on toward Cloud City.

.

Inside the _Moldy Crow,_ Leia looked down at the metal cylinder in her hand. So simple-looking. She pressed a switch and a beam of light shot out from one end, a bright white beam glinting with hints of silver. Yoda had said that white crystals tend to be poor choices in light sabers, because they often shine brightly enough to damage a wielder's eyes. Leia considered that, but was sure that the silver tint would take enough of an edge off of the weapon's brightness. She swung the blade back and forth, trying to get a feel for it.

"Ga-aah, watch what you're doing with that thing!"

Leia quickly switched her weapon off, scowling through a blush as she turned to look at the mercenary, Kyle Katarn.

"I have to grow accustomed to it _somehow_."

"Well _that's_ not the way to do it. You could slice your own legs off. For one thing, you need to widen your stance. Doesn't matter how nasty your weapon is if you're all out of balance."

In the opposite corner, Yoda gave a satisfied snort as he watched the mercenary give her tips. It had been a long time since one of his visions had worked out so… _happily_. He turned his gaze to the young blond man seated in another corner. "With your friends, you are wishing you were, hmmm?"

"No…" The young man looked up and shrugged. "Well, sure. Just hoping they'll be all right, you know?"

"Need you, these two will. The right choice, you have made."

"Well thanks, I… wait, aren't you coming too?"

Yoda shook his head. "Here I will stay. Much to discuss, the pilot and I have."

"What?" Leia and Kyle both hopped and jumped out of the way as her light saber hit the deck, shutting off as it bounced and rolled. With a growl, Leia reached out, pulling the weapon back to her by using the Force.

Kyle only spared a moment to glare at her before turning to Yoda. "You mean Jan? What do you have to discuss with _her_?"

"Much," Yoda repeated with a smile.

Kyle grunted. "Don't be surprised if she thinks she has better things to do than sit around meditating."

"Better things… hmmmm." Yoda gazed at the far wall with half-closed eyes.

Leia regained some composure. "How are you supposed to observe my 'progress' if you're not even there? I know the only reason you allowed this was to use it as some sort of test. I can't do this without you."

"Lacking confidence, are you? Believe that I do _not_. Done this sort of thing before, you have. Mmm, many times. Awareness, is where _your_ inexperience lies. And in using the Force. Always with you, the Force is. And always with me as well. Able to _feel_ your progress, I will be. Or lack thereof. Hmph."

Jan Ors' voice blared over the ship's comm. "We're just about there. Get ready to move out!"

Everyone in the room looked at Kyle, who pointed toward the exit. Which was silly, because it was the same doorway they'd all come through when they boarded the _Moldy Crow_. The first member of the team to reach the door was R2-D2.

"Oh no," said Kyle as he looked at the little droid. "No way. You're staying with the old guy, buddy."

Leia put a hand on the droid's dome. "Of course he's coming. Without him, it could take hours to find them, never mind gain access to wherever they're being held. Unless, of course, you plan on running around and killing every Imperial officer in the place until you find access keys or something."

Celchu chuckled. "That wouldn't take hours. It'd take days."

Katarn shrugged. "Maybe, but at least it'd be _fun_. Better than serving as escort to a droid that moves about as fast as a Hutt's aged grandmother."

Artoo's reply to that particular comment was drowned out by the sudden noise of the _Moldy Crow_ 's engines as the door opened.

.*******************************************************

Mara could hear her footsteps echo as she wandered through the prison cells deep beneath the Imperial Palace. It had taken several days for her to recover from the injuries she'd suffered on Dagobah. One day – one day, she would escort that masked man-child Vader to one of these cells herself. He didn't even deserve the dignity of death in combat.

She stopped walking as a voice suddenly called out: "Hello?"

Mara frowned. Large sections of these cell blocks hadn't been used since the first years of the Empire, including the block she had chosen to wander through. She headed for the voice, finally stopping at a cell with a young man in it. His blond hair was disheveled and he had the faint beginnings of facial hair. Jade suspected the lack of growth had more to do with maturity than the length of his stay down here. As he studied her in return, she realized she knew exactly who this boy was. "Skywalker," she muttered darkly.

The young man smirked. "Didn't realize I was _that_ famous."

"No, I just happened to have been assigned to kill you, at the palace of a crime lord on Tattooine. But you ended up _here_ instead. Lucky kid."

Luke's gaze grew distant. "Jabba's Palace? So Vader knew I'd go after Han."

Mara spat on the ground. "Vader knows _nothing_. He didn't even know _I_ was there."

Luke leaned forward. "You work directly for the Emperor?" He looked her up and down, staring at her in a way that made her want to smack him. As she turned to leave in disgust, she felt a tugging at her belt. Quicker than thought, she reached out and snatched her light saber out of the air – less than an inch from Skywalker's hand.

Luke grinned at her. "So it's _not_ just for show!"

"Huh?"

"You can use the Force. I wasn't sure at first – there's something strange about the way you feel."

"What, you mean throw things around with my mind like Vader? Heh. I wish."

"Sure! You don't _really_ think it's possible to move that fast on your own, do you?"

The Emperor had told her so many times, it was out of her mouth almost before she knew it. "My anger… makes me strong."

"Aw, everybody gets angry. Not everybody can do _that_."

"That's why the Emperor trained me to _focus_ the anger, and channel it."

"Wow you really don't know, do you? I wonder what his game is with you."

"The only question here, Skywalker, is: what's _your_ game? And don't bother answering, because I'm not playing it."

Luke had one more question as she turned to leave. "So you know my father well?"

Mara sighed. Despite what she'd just said, she _was_ curious about this guy. Why did the Emperor single him out for assassination? He was just a kid. Not an incredibly bright one either. She turned back to the cell. "What would _possibly_ make you think that?"

"Well, you mentioned him so casually just now, I thought…" Luke coughed and winced as Mara grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him into the bars of his cell.

"Nice try, Skywalker, but the Emperor _has_ no family. I'm the closest thing he's got to offspring, and that's not very close."

Luke stared at her, blinking a few times. As strong as anger was supposed to make her, Mara realized this time it had made her reckless as well. There was probably nothing the boy could do with such information, but knowledge was power – and as such, giving it freely was _never_ a good idea. She released his shirt, wondering what to do with him now.

Fortunately, Luke remembered his original question. "No, no. Of _course_ the Emperor's not my father." He laughed, and Mara allowed herself a smirk.

Luke leaned against a wall, still grinning and shaking his head. "I meant Vader. _He's_ my father."

The kid did not seem at all sulky. He actually had a personality beyond mood swings, and seemed like he could move without looking like a robot. No family resemblance _at all_. "How is that possible?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it!"

"What are you doing in here, if that's true?"

"Long story."

"No thanks, I already know more than I ever wanted to about either of you. In fact…" Mara remembered something she'd seen on Dagobah. "I've got to go."

"Yeah. We'll start some other time."

"Excuse me? Start what, exactly?"

Luke shrugged. "Proving that you can 'throw things around with your mind,' of course."

Mara snorted as she walked away. "Yeah. _Right._ "

.********************************************************

Lando sat in a corner of the cell, rubbing his chin. He _really_ needed a shave. At least the droid wasn't moaning about rusty joints anymore – for the moment.

Chewbacca grunted, sniffing the air. Food? It would be the first time in two or three days. The Wookie growled, softly at first, then at full voice.

"Save your strength."

Chewie completely disregarded him, bellowing now. He pounded the door with his long arms, and Lando figured the poor guy had finally lost his mind. Before too long, he'll be in just as bad a shape – pounding uselessly on the door and gibbering total nonsense.

The door opened.

For several moments Lando could only stare at it, blinking in the relatively harsh glare of the lights in the hallway. Chewbacca was out of the cell like a starfighter launched into space.

"R2-D2! I _knew_ you'd come for me!"

For once, Threepio was absolutely correct – that _was_ the little astromech droid on the other side of the doorway. Lando couldn't remember ever wanting to hug a droid before.

A familiar female voice came from somewhere down the hall. "Flyboy! Go see what's taking so long!"

Lando struggled to his feet, eager to see a familiar face – even if it was the Princess barking orders in his face. He stepped out of the cell and nearly collided with a young blond man toting a blaster rifle.

"Lando Calrissian?" The young man asked.

"Yeah, that's me."

"This way, sir."

Nothing in Lando's life had prepared him for the scene that greeted him at the end of the hallway. A rough-looking, unshaven man was firing an old-fashioned blastor pistol into a cluster of Imperial troops, and each shot was a kill. A woman Lando did not at first recognize was spinning inside a glowing, silvery shield that deflected every blaster bolt sent in the marksman's direction. The blond man escorting Lando dropped to one knee, firing his blaster rifle into the crowd of Imperials.

And Chewbacca – in a word, the Wookie was terrifying. Lando had seen him angry and had nearly died for it. He had _not_ seen a Wookie in all-out battle rage. Stormtroopers flew through the air, launched by shining white clubs in Chewbacca's huge hands. A salvo of blaster shots was aimed at Chewie, and he somehow managed to use the clubs in his hands as shields to absorb every shot. Chewbacca took his clubs and tossed them into the cluster of troops, and Lando gasped as he realized the 'clubs' had been stormtroopers themselves, one in each hand.

With Chewie charging on one side, the marksman protected by the woman's impenetrable sphere on the other and a steady stream of blaster fire down the middle of the corridor, the surviving stormtroopers broke and ran. Everyone paused to regroup, and Lando saw that the woman was Princess Leia after all. The silver sphere had actually been a Jedi light saber, swinging so fast it had seemed to create a barrier. She looked up and caught his eye.

"Thanks," said Lando, breaking into a grin. "I think the Empire forgot we were even…"

"I came for Chewie and Threepio," Leia said dispassionately. "You're just lucky you were still with them."

"Lucky?! Where else would I have been? Look, things did _not_ go as I planned the last time you were here…"

"I'll grant you that."

"…and I'll do whatever it takes to make that slobbering Hutt pay for messing with Han!"

Leia lifted an eyebrow. " _Whatever_ it takes?"

Lando could feel sweat break out all over. It would be just like a woman to take such a sentiment literally, but he knew there was only one right answer. "That's right."

"Good." Leia turned and strode down the corridor. "From everything I've heard of Jabba's Palace, the place is like a fortress. We'll need…"

She brought her light saber up just as an Imperial trooper leaned around a corner and took a shot at them. Her weapon deflected the blaster shot, but sent it to one side of her. Everyone with her dove to the ground as the shot went bouncing down the hallway behind them.

"Will you put that thing away," shouted the rough-looking man. "You're going to get us all killed!"

"That's not what you were saying at the comm center, Katarn! If you'd been paying attention…"

While they argued, Chewbacca smoothly shot his blaster rifle at the corner just as the stormtrooper leaned out again, and the soldier fell dead to the ground. Letting out a howl and a grunt, Chewie darted over to the far side of the wall, spraying the intersection with blaster fire.

"The Wookie's right," the blond pilot said. "There are probably more of them covering their retreat – we need to take it slow."

Suddenly Lando laughed. Everyone stared at him, even the droids, but he couldn't help it. He had just thought how funny it would be if, after all this, a moment's bad luck killed them all.


	5. Chapter 4

"Master Yoda, please! I've wasted too much time already. I _must_ do this!"

" _Wasted_? Worse, your chances of success are?"

Leia stuttered. "No… That's not… I can _feel_ the urgency. I don't know why, but Han's time is running out."

"More training, you need."

"For what? If I could deal with the Imperials in Cloud City, I can deal with Jabba's thugs."

"The importance of your friend's destiny, I do _not_ take lightly. Mmmm, a powerful destiny it is."

"Then you have to understand…"

"Neither do Vader and the Emperor take him lightly."

Leia frowned as she considered Yoda's words. The little green Jedi Master just sat there as she pondered, staring off into the distance. Finally, she thought she had a question he could respect. "What have you seen?"

"Ahhhh!" Yoda's smile confirmed her suspicions. "Grown in wisdom, you have."

"Thank you, Master Yoda. And… ?"

"Burdened with my visions, you should not be."

" _What?"_

"Trust in those who are wiser, you still must learn."

Leia gritted her teeth. "What, then, if not Jabba's Palace?"

"Difficult, the light saber still is for you. A sparring partner, you need."

.

Luke could feel him approaching. His feelings were mixed, confused even, now that he knew Vader was his father. But he was confident he had finally mastered those feelings. He suspected his father had only recently been successful mastering his own – or he would have visited sooner.

Finally, Darth Vader stepped into view and turned to face Luke's cell, folding his arms. "This place cannot hold you, my son."

"I know, father. But it suits me, for now."

"You are preparing yourself?"

"Of course. It was why the Emperor put me here, wasn't it?"

"He thought when you realized it, you would be ready."

"He also thought I'd be preparing myself to kill _you_."

"It is dragging on too long. He will begin to suspect."

Luke grinned. "He _already_ suspects. It's his nature. But success has made him overconfident."

There was a pause as father and son weighed each other. Then Vader turned to go. "You are doing well, my son. But time grows short."

"One or two more goals to reach, no more." Luke leaned back and smiled as he listened to his father's heavy footsteps fade away.

.***************************************************

"Sulon? What could possibly be there?" Kyle Katarn seemed in a fouler mood than usual, something Leia wouldn't have thought possible. Yoda, of course, did not seem to notice.

"Familiar with the planet, are you not? Join us, you should."

Katarn shook his head stubbornly. "Nah. Hated the place. Anyway, Jan says there's word of a new Death Star being built. Chewbacca and Calrissian have agreed to help me check it out."

Leia was still sulking about that. She missed Han terribly, and while having the _Falcon_ would help, the Wookie's presence would have helped much more. How he and Lando had suddenly become so inseparable was _not_ something she cared to think about. Perhaps Calrissian really was Han's friend – in some strange, scoundrel way. In the end, she could only decide that they all deserved each other. She had her own duties to worry about. Learning how to be more dangerous to her enemies than to her friends with her light saber _was_ pretty important. But she did not have to like any of it.

.

Mara held up the holocron to the light. At most, she estimated she had ten standard hours before Vader noticed it was missing. She wondered who she could see about having a copy made. Something like this could be useful in any number of situations.

 _ **Come to me.**_

It was not a request, and so strong was the Emperor's will that she had to concentrate to keep from scurrying.

When she arrived at Palpatine's throne room, he wasted no time. "Show me."

As they watched the recorded births and the death together, the Emperor sat stiffly. But Mara could sense his emotions if he was focused on something else, and this was one of those times. Usually he kept everything about him under tight control – secretive to a fault. There was anger – no surprise, considering Vader was clearly keeping this from him. There was shock – interesting. Whoever this goateed man and pointy-eared alien were, they had managed to keep a secret even from the Emperor. No small feat. However, the most surprising emotion she felt from Palpatine was fear.

When the recording was finished, the Emperor sat in silence for a long time. "She will be with the alien," he finally said. It took Mara a moment to realize he must be talking about the girl from the holovid, Leia Organa. "He is a Jedi Master, once head of the High Council itself. Find them. Kill her."

Mara couldn't hold back a smile. Finally, she would get a chance to test herself against a true Jedi!

"I know your ambitions, my Hand. Succeed in this, and you will have what you seek. But first, perhaps you can learn a trick of mine. Jedi have a way of sensing active minds around them, but I found a way to cloak certain things in shadow and hide them, even my very presence on occasion. I have shown no one else this; it shall be yours alone."

Palpatine watched her leave, noticing a spring in her step. A pity – she may well be the best of his Hands. He had many, though each was under the impression they were the only one. Yoda would very likely defeat Mara despite the element of surprise he just granted her, forcing her to destroy herself. But he would be able to get a good impression of the Skywalker girl's ability through his Hand.

Could he have been mistaken? Could the vision have been about a _daughter_ of Skywalker? He would have to check in on his new apprentice. The amount of preparation the boy thought he needed was starting to make Palpatine doubt young Skywalker's superiority to Vader.

.

"What is this place?" Leia coughed, stirring up a cloud of dust.

"A home," answered Yoda as he stumped into a back room with his cane.

Leia sighed, hearing the Jedi Master's insistent instruction echo in her memory: _Always disciplined, a Jedi's mind must be. Easy to find are adequate words. Wise words… Aaah, much harder are they._ "Whose home?" She asked.

Yoda poked at a dust bunny with his walking stick. "No one's, now."

"Whose home _was_ it, then?"

"Listening and feeling. Two very hard things, are they, when preoccupied with _talking_ one is."

With gritted teeth, Leia closed her eyes. The flood of sensation was almost immediate. "This place is strong with the Force!"

"Mmmm, good." Yoda was now climbing onto a counter top in a room that presumably was used as a kitchen at some point in time. "Dark Side, think you?"

"No, not at all. But… There does seem to be something wild about it."

The Jedi Master grumbled to himself as he poked around the empty cabinets. "Refused the Jedi order, did this one. More important to him, was an ordinary life."

"Ordinary?"

"Yes, good! Heroics, this one did _not_ seek. A home, a farm, these things the Jedi could not offer. A _family_." At this last word, Yoda slid backwards off the counter top, lowering himself until a small hop brought him back to the floor.

Leia frowned. "Bringing me here wasn't about my light saber skills at all, was it?"

Yoda looked up at his pupil, his eyes wide and his ears flat, and laughed at her. " _A_ reason, it was. Tricked, were you? Refused to come, would you have, had you known of other reasons?"

"Well…"

"Opportunities to learn, one can find anywhere. While doing anything."

"I should trust you more, Yoda. I apologize."

The Jedi Master turned, his walking stick thumping as he wandered into another room. "Trust, mmmm. The _only_ good plans, yours are not. Disaster, seeks the Jedi who does not heed council."

"What's so bad about a Jedi having a family?"

"Protector of all, a Jedi is." He made interested sounds as he approached a durasteel container at the far end of the room. "Favorites, the Jedi should not have. Impossible, this is, when so passionate a stake one has with specific individuals."

"Passionate? Emotions are a part of life, Yoda. We can't just pretend they don't exist."

Yoda scowled as he opened the container to find it empty. "Balanced with reason, emotion must be. The enemy of reason, passion is."

"Do you believe that is why Luke failed?"

"Mmm, very good. Not ready, was he." The Jedi Master slammed the durasteel container shut, giving it a whack with his stick for good measure.

"Not ready to fight? He destroyed the Death Star!"

"Not ready for the _burden_." Yoda was still glaring at the empty container.

"What burden?"

Yoda looked up at her. "Ahhh!" Then he smiled. "Not _ready_ , are you."

.

In the rec room of the _Millennium Falcon_ , Kyle sighed as he reset the dejarik board yet again. Usually he could take five, maybe six games out of ten from Jan, but now she wasn't even trying. He supposed she was anxious, since she usually was the one flying.

"So what kind of phony baloney did that geezer throw at'cha, Jan?"

"Hmmm. The future, or so he said. I wouldn't worry too much about it – most of the things were really far-fetched."

"So can you float in the air while you sit cross-legged and chant 'Ommmmm' yet?"

Jan couldn't suppress a grin as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It wasn't like that at all. I was kind of surprised."

"Really? No babbling about mystical energy fields?"

"Well… Let's just say it wasn't me he was interested in babbling to. He was absolutely certain I'd never have any part of that."

"Oh? You asked?"

Jan punched him painfully in the arm. "Of course not! I don't care."

Kyle nodded, focusing on the game.

Surprisingly, Jan wasn't quite finished. "Even if I did care, so what?"

"Eh, waste of time," Kyle muttered as he contemplated his move.

"You wouldn't be a _little_ curious?"

Kyle looked up. "No. There's a reason his little Jedi cult is virtually extinct. No emotion. No motivation. Their highest ideal was to be some sort of robot militia. 'For the good of all!' 'There is no wrong or right, only a different point of view!' Bah. Good riddance, I say."

Jan stared at him. They'd never had a reason to discuss the Jedi Order before, and she was a little shocked by Kyle's aggressiveness toward the subject.

Lando's voice blared over the ship's comm.. "Endor system. Ass-end of the Empire – last stop before the Unknown Regions!"

Jan swallowed what she'd been about to say. "Come on, let's see about this new Death Star."

.

Luke had been feeling the Emperor approach for several minutes now, and his growing sensitivity to the Force brought a smile to his face. His time here in this cell had not been spent idly.

Palpatine strode into view and fixed Luke with his stare. He produced an odd-looking holorecording and held it out for Luke. "This is a copy of something your father has tried to hide from you."

 _And from you,_ Luke thought. _Your feelings betray you._ That was the first time the Emperor had referred to Vader as his father. Obviously this would be more reinforcement of the idea that Vader was not worthy, that Luke must destroy him and take his place. He examined the holorecording, finding the switch with little difficulty. This should be interesting.

As the image came up, Luke recognized the back of Yoda's head instantly. And the gruff-looking man facing the recorder might have been a younger version of…

"Ben," Luke muttered aloud. Palpatine said nothing as the recording went through the woman's pained screams.

Hearing the distressed woman say his name was a shock, and he found himself leaning closer to the image, straining to absorb every detail of the woman's face, every strained note in her voice – his mother. But the second name shook him to his core.

"My… Sister?"

He saw a vision of her, in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_.

 _"No, I don't," she was saying as she was backed up against the wall by Han Solo. "I like nice men."_

 _"I'm a nice man," said Han, stepping closer._

 _"No you're not, you're…"_

 _Han interrupted her with a kiss, and she surrendered to it completely as the vision melted away._

Han Solo was on her mind, Luke could tell. She was planning to go to him, very soon now. "Han. Jabba's Palace!" Luke blurted what was in his mind before the vision finished clearing. The Emperor was still there, smiling now. "And Lord Vader will be there, to greet his long-lost daughter," he said. Then he was gone, leaving the holocron copy with Luke.


	6. Chapter 5

Whoever this Morgan Katarn was, aside from Kyle's father, he was a bit of a genius, Leia thought. As she followed Yoda into a secret storeroom, she couldn't help staring at the oddest conglomeration of droid parts she'd ever seen. The droid was clearly deactivated, and Leia had to wonder if it had ever truly functioned.

"Here," said Yoda, pointing to a panel in the wall. She activated her light saber, shattering the false brick that hid a secret compartment. Yoda reached in and pulled out… Another light saber.

"A non-Jedi owned one of these?"

"Belonged to a Jedi Master named Qu Rahn, this one did. Hidden here to be found by the son of his good friend, Morgan Katarn, it was."

" _Kyle_ was meant to have this?"

"So surprised, are you? Much to learn of sensing the true essence of fellow beings, have you."

"But…"

Yoda grunted, bringing a hand up to his neck with a wince.

"Master Yoda?" The Jedi Master crumpled to the ground, and Leia spun to see a woman with dark red hair dressed all in black step out into the room behind her. "What have you done?" She asked the stranger.

"If I were you," the woman said as she activated a light saber that glowed a deep violet color, "I'd be more worried about what I'm _going_ to do."

Leia's own weapon hummed to life, filling the dingy passages with its brilliant silvery light. "We'll see who should be worried here!"

The red-haired woman charged, spinning into her attack. Leia was knocked off her feet as she barely managed to block the strike. The woman was relentless, and Leia had to roll out of the way of the violet beam before scrambling to her feet. The attacker smiled, handling her weapon expertly as she backed Leia into a corner. With terrifying ease, the woman struck a blow that sent Leia's weapon spinning from her grasp and followed with a lowered shoulder that slammed her into the wall, knocking the wind out of the princess.

"Hah," the woman gloated, though what she said next made no sense. "I _will_ be the apprentice!"

In a panic as she struggled to breathe, Leia raised her hands, squeezing her eyes shut.

.

There had been a strange exhilaration for Mara as she was sneaking up on the Jedi and his student, and not just because of the challenge. If this new ability was something the Emperor had been holding back from her, perhaps she _was_ capable of more. She didn't dare believe it, but she couldn't help herself. The fact that she just happened to be able to learn this now left some nagging doubts in her mind. And hope. She'd been told she already knew all there was for her to learn, but now there was something new, conveniently when she would most need it.

The ease with which she followed her targets undetected was intoxicating. This would be her easiest mission ever, and it would conclude with the ultimate reward! She almost laughed when the dart with its neurotoxin hit the neck of the little green creature. Now for the fun part.

The girl had some spirit, but almost no idea what to do with her weapon. Kind of a shame- she seemed to have decent instincts. All too quickly the assassin's target was disarmed and flattened against a wall, struggling just to breathe. The princess shut her eyes and raised her hands in futile anticipation of the final blow. How embarrassing.

Too late, Mara recognized the gesture she'd seen Darth Vader use countless times to deadly effect. An invisible vise clamped around Mara's neck, squeezing her to the brink of unconsciousness within seconds. "GHHRRRKK!" Mara dropped her weapon as she clawed at her throat, even though there was nothing there to try to pull away.

The woman opened her eyes, staring with wide-eyed shock for a moment. Then the pressure on Mara's throat lessened – slightly. "Who are you?" She asked. "How do I fix what you've done to Master Yoda?"

Mara wheezed. "Already dead…" She choked out. In an instant the hold on her was gone and she crumbled to her knees, gasping for air. The other woman scrambled over to the tiny green creature, kneeling beside it. After a few moments, she lifted her head, rubbing at her eyes. "No," she said, her voice flooded with relief. "He's alive."

So. The Emperor had warned her not to underestimate Yoda. Still, if she had dealt with the girl the way she should have instead of toying with her, it would have been easy enough to finish the job, despite the Jedi's apparent healing powers.

The princess wasn't done. Mara watched her turn back and tried to stand, failing miserably. The would-be apprentice was lifted into the air, arms and legs spread wide, turned upside-down and slammed against the wall. Mara grunted, wincing. She looked at the woman, trying desperately to figure out how she was doing all this with her mind. For just a moment, she thought she could feel something, and to Mara's intense satisfaction, the princess' ponytail flipped forward, smacking the woman lightly in the face.

Mara felt herself move away from the wall, then slam back into it. She tried replicating her trick with the ponytail, and felt absolutely nothing. Again she was slammed into the wall, and the vial of neurotoxin fell out of her hidden pocket and shattered on the floor. The woman bent down to examine the shards, not noticing the tears running down into Mara's hair. The aching body she had been well-trained to deal with. The frustration and humiliation of being rendered so helpless by someone with such vastly inferior combat skills, however, were not so easily brushed aside. As much as it galled her, she forced herself to realize that any confrontation she might have had with Vader to take his place would have ended the exact same way. She would _never_ have been the Emperor's apprentice, because she just couldn't do the things Vader could do.

Still, the girl's ponytail hadn't flipped itself. _You_ _ **can**_ _use the Force_. Skywalker's voice full of false bravado echoed in her mind. She could feel the Emperor's will bearing down on her. She could hear his command to kill herself. It was both the consequence of failure and her duty for security reasons; the ultimate act of loyalty. She had always accepted these things as part of her position, and she had been trained in techniques to make her own heart stop should she ever be rendered helpless to do violence to herself in other ways. And yet… The ponytail had not flipped itself.

.

Leia stooped down to examine the shattered fragments on the floor. Who _was_ this woman? How was she able to sneak up on her? On _Master Yoda_? She stood and looked at the woman, still held against the wall upside-down by the Force. There were tears streaming down into her hair. So hitting the wall didn't feel very nice? "Tell me what was in that vial," she said coldly.

The woman's lips were moving, and Leia leaned in closer to listen.

"Ultimate loyalty… Ultimate loyalty…"

Leia sighed. It seemed as if the assassin was in some sort of trance. How could she snap her out of it?

A soft croak came from behind the princess. Forgetting everything else, Leia turned and rushed over to Yoda's side. She heard the mysterious woman's body fall to the ground, but her attention was on the Jedi Master.

"The Force," he said in a whisper.

"Save your strength, Master Yoda. There has to be an antidote…"

"Need… Help. The _Force_." Yoda was weak but insistent.

Still puzzled over how exactly she was supposed to help Yoda fight off the poison, she reached out with her feelings, sensing the wrongness in Yoda's body. She put her hand on his neck, and for a moment she could feel the Force flowing from her hand into the wound. Yoda took a deep breath, and his eyes appeared to be brighter. "Yes," he said much more clearly. "Used to restore, the Force can be."

The Princess shushed him. "Rest now, Master Yoda. I want to know…" Her voice trailed off as she looked up. The red-haired woman was gone.

.

Mara did not know how long she had been running, but as she slumped against a rock, she knew her legs would not allow her to get back up for some time. The Emperor was furious, but Mara could not tell anymore how much of the anger seething within her was from him, and how much was her own. If she couldn't learn Force powers, then the reward of replacing Vader was a false promise and she had been sent here as a sacrifice, nothing more than a probe droid set on self-destruct. If it was not a false promise, then what she had believed about herself all her life was an illusion. She _could_ learn to use the Force, as the boy had said, and all these years as the Emperor's Hand had been wasted. Either way, that made the only other person in the galaxy she cared about a…

"LIAR!" The scream echoed off the cliff surrounding her. Even though she seemed to have escaped, the pressure of the Emperor's desire to kill herself did not lessen. It was still the price of failure.

 _You can use the Force._

She had no choice. She _had_ to believe the boy. She _had_ to try to learn how to match such adversaries as Organa or Vader. She brought her fists to her temples, focusing on her rage. She could feel something flowing through her hands, and after a few moments she no longer felt the Emperor's will. As her exhausted body flopped over and she drifted off to sleep, a few thoughts stayed with her. What had she done? She was certain she had done _something_ to her connection with the Emperor. And she was more convinced than ever that Skywalker just might have been right about her.

.

There was a momentary pang of regret as Palpatine realized his connection with Jade was broken. That could only mean she had finally committed the ultimate act of loyalty. She had been extremely useful – perhaps even special. It was a shame events had become so much bigger than her. Then the moment passed, and she was out of his mind as if she'd never existed.

Young Skywalker's comments had yielded the result he needed. The path for the future would be set in the 'palace' of a crime lord on a remote planet in the Outer Rim. Such was often the way of the galaxy, and now his suspicion that a mere Hand of the Emperor would not suffice was confirmed. Vader must go to Tattoine and confront his offspring. All three Skywalkers would be tested, and only one would pass. He had forseen it.

.***************************************************************

She walked along a darkened corridor, the stillness around her making the place feel abandoned. Every instinct screamed at her that this was a trap, but she did not care one bit. Only one thing mattered here.

She turned a corner, and found another corridor stretching out of sight. She could not remember how long she had been wandering this maze. But there was a bright light at the end of this path, shining down on something rectangular. She walked faster, sensing that her goal was within reach. Soon she could make out a form carved into the rectangular structure, as if someone were trapped within it.

"Han," Leia said, finally close enough to make out his features frozen in carbonite. Her fingers trembled as they reached out for his.

Leia sat up in her bed, breathing heavily. "Han," she whispered to the dark room. She pondered the dream in silence. No, not just a dream. After a few moments, she nodded to herself. Only one thing _did_ matter now. To her.

.

Across the galaxy, at the exact same moment that Leia nodded, a huddled figure in the corner of a cell opened his eyes and smiled. He'd never seen Han look so… _heroic_ before. "Your feelings betray you, sister," he muttered darkly. He wondered if shared visions were something common among siblings. Perhaps twins? Then he stood, drawing himself up with a confidence that had never been in him before, and looked at the bars that presumed to hold him. "It's time," said Luke Skywalker to the empty cell around him.


	7. Chapter 6

"Yes, my Master."

Vader rose and turned away from the holovid. He had just arrived at the construction site for the new Death Star, but already plans had changed. Luke had finally escaped. The Emperor was convinced he was headed to the palace of a Hutt on Tattooine. And the Princess would be on her way there soon as well, to rescue her dashing Pirate Captain. All the time he'd spent waiting for these events to unfold, and now he had to scramble to catch up. He walked out of his chamber. "Prepare my shuttle."

The officer at the doorway jumped. "My Lord? You just arrived."

"And now I am leaving. This station's progress is acceptable. Another commander is on his way to make sure there are no setbacks."

"Yes, my Lord." Hours ago, Vader had been harshly declaring that the construction was behind schedule, but the young officer wisely had no wish to argue or question the logic of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

.

A shuttle went whizzing past the viewport of the _Millennium Falcon_ as Lando transmitted the authorization codes he was given by Rebel agents. " _Alliance_ agents," he corrected himself aloud. The Alliance to Restore the Republic didn't care for the term "rebel" much. In any power struggle, all sides believed theirs was the most legitimate claim. Only being the winner ever mattered, though.

"Shuttle _Tiderious_ , you are cleared to land."

Lando swiveled his seat around to face the others. Jan Ors' arms were folded, her head tilted to one side. "So what's the plan?" she asked.

"We'll have to impersonate a work crew. That ought to enable us access to a few key places where we can plant those explosives. I'll do all the talking."

"You? Why you?"

Lando grinned. "Know any better bluffers than a successful gambler?"

Kyle was unimpressed. "Maybe. But go ahead, this is your show."

Chewbacca howled a question that Lando had been thinking about the entire trip. "Uh… You just hide aboard the ship until we need backup or something."

Lando marched down the ramp, haughty sneer firmly in place. He mustered all the authority he had learned to wield running Cloud City as he stopped at the foot of the ramp and inspected the soldiers lined up on either side. One of them stepped forward and saluted him. "Moff Vansen?" the soldier asked.

"Er… Of course." Lando had planned to be the work crew chief, but this was much better!

The soldier shook his head in wonder. "We didn't realize you'd be here so soon. Lord Vader just left, but he said we were right on schedule and you should have no trouble."

Lando resisted the urge to rub sweat off his face. Lord Vader? _Just_ left? He wondered how much more luck one man could have in a single lifetime. He could certainly use this. "That may be good enough for Lord Vader, but _I_ expect the Empire's Finest to be ahead of schedule!"

"Yes, sir. We'll take care of your… Um… Ship."

"She'd better not get a scratch on her!" Lando affectionately patted the _Falcon_ 's old, battered hull. "Also, I have very rare and exotic items stored in there. I trust they will not be disturbed."

"No, sir. Who are _they_?"

Jan and Kyle had crowded onto the ramp behind Lando. "I'm glad you asked that," said Lando. "This is my team of experts, who will inspect every inch of this operation and make at least fifty recommendations for how to improve efficiency."

Jan walked up to the soldier, sniffing. "Banning use of cologne would cut morning prep time at least two percent, your Excellency."

Lando turned to the soldier. "Make a note!" He then nodded at Jan. "Good start, engineer. Forty-nine recommendations to go, and bonus pay to every suggestion over number fifty!"

.************************************************************************************

Of all the weapons Luke had found in the vault in the Imperial Palace, the light saber with the yellow-gold hue fascinated him the most. Even now, on Nar Shadda, he couldn't help switching it on when he was alone to look at it. As he gazed at the golden glow illuminating a dark alley, a voice spoke from behind him.

"There's a pretty large bounty on those things these days. I'd be more careful where you shine that."

He recognized the voice without turning. "Finally saw your true potential, huh?" He turned to grin at a certain woman with red hair. "You know, I never did get your name."

She hesitated, hundreds of aliases she'd used on assignment flitting through her mind. "Mara," she finally said. "Mara Jade."

"You know, Mara, this crowded place is actually a good environment to start training your sensitivity. The Force surrounds us, penetrates every living thing. The crowds here will overwhelm you, but I think you can overcome them and find individual minds if you practice diligently."

"Diligence I can do."

"I thought so. Now, still yourself. Right here, right now. Stop doing, stop thinking and just _listen_."

Mara sighed, closing her eyes and emptying herself the way her trainers had taught her since she was a child. _Breathe_. The crowds of the smuggler's moon were jumbled with every emotion imaginable. Luke was right – it was overwhelming. _Breathe_. She could sense Luke, just like she was sometimes able to sense what the Emperor was feeling. She decided that was cheating; he hadn't moved since she'd closed her eyes. _Breathe_. Her head turned slightly, and she opened her eyes, looking directly at a passing Rodian. The alien started to cower when it noticed her gaze.

Mara turned to Luke, her scowl vanishing momentarily. "You know, I think I did feel something there."

Luke flashed her a grin. "So begins your Awakening."

.

It had been a long time since Leia had felt such impatience. She arrived with Yoda at the rendezvous point with the Alliance fleet only to learn that Katarn and the others had not yet returned from their own mission. Would they ever come back? How long should she wait for them? Leia would have preferred to set out for Tattooine and at least survey the area while waiting, but Yoda was adamant.

"Wait for your friends, we must. _Crucial_ to your success, they are."

So she found herself wandering the medical facilities, trying to learn more about the restorative technique that had brought Yoda back from the brink of death. She found it could heal wounds, but she was not strong enough in the Force yet to experiment with more dramatic ideas, like re-growing limbs or organs.

"There you are, your Highness!"

Leia tried not to grimace at the well-meaning droid. "Here I am."

"May I have a word?'

"Of course, Threepio. What is it?"

"Artoo and I were simply wondering about… Master Luke. Is he _ever_ coming back?"

Leia rubbed her cheeks with the palms of her hands. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she had almost forgotten about him _again_. "If he could have gotten away on his own, I'm sure he'd have been back with us by now."

"I see, your Highness."

"The best we can hope for at this point is to somehow find out where he is and get him out of there. Unfortunately, nobody's been able to find out anything at all. I hate to say it - I hate to feel like I'm just abandoning Luke, but I have to focus on things I _can_ do something about."

"Namely, Captain Solo?"

"Exactly."

"Is there any way I may be of assistance?"

Leia smiled. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Is there anything you can tell me about the planet Tattooine, or about Jabba the Hutt?"

.

Lando woke with a start, and was horrified to realize the meeting was still in session. The Junior officers continued to drone on with their endless reports, clearly not even aware that he had dozed off. Or perhaps just not daring to notice. He'd had to deal with meetings on Cloud City, but Imperial bureaucracy was an entirely different animal. He looked up and saw a couple of familiar faces in the doorway he was facing. Smiling, he stood and silenced the officers. "That will be all for now."

"Yes, sir."

He walked over to the doorway where Jan and Kyle were waiting for him. "I will conduct a visual inspection of the outer armor of this station from my own ship, now that the engineers are done with their interior inspection."

"As you say, sir. Your escort will be ready in ten minutes."

Lando frowned. "Escort?"

"Well, yes. Of course, sir."

All his bluffing experience couldn't come up with a reasonable objection. "Indeed. Yes. Very well."

In the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_ everyone was giddy. "I swear," Kyle said, "we planted enough explosives to blow the thing out of space ten times over!"

Lando glanced out the viewport. "Someone will need to take care of the escort."

Chewie howled and Jan said "Got it" simultaneously. Kyle looked between the two of them and shrugged. "Go get 'em." He put his feet up on the empty seat in front of him as the others left.

"How long do we have?"

Kyle checked a chronometer. "I'd say about…"

The ship was rocked by an explosion behind it. Lando grabbed the arms of his chair as Kyle lounged with aplomb, feet up and hands behind his head. "… Now."

.

Vader regarded the mechanical eye that protruded from the wall curiously. How reasonable the Hutt was willing to be could have far-reaching implications for the future of his New Empire.

The massive door opened, and Jabba's pig-snouted Gammorean escorts came out, bowing and scraping. Not quite as stupid as they looked. Vader ignored them as he entered the dark passageway, his long strides forcing the guards to scurry to lead the way. Jabba himself would not be intimidated by his presence, Vader knew. But the crime lord's minions certainly would be.

All music and motion stopped as the Dark Lord of the Sith stepped into the Hutt's audience chamber. A battered droid stepped forward. "To what does the mighty Jabba owe this… Rare honor?" Jabba and his people spoke in Huttese, as Hutts always do. Vader hadn't bothered to learn the language, as Imperials never do. This was but one example of the reasons the two groups preferred to pretend the other did not exist, despite each being a clear threat to the other's power. Fortunately, Hutts often dealt with creatures too poor or ignorant to learn their language, and the local Jawas were always willing to sell a scavenged protocol droid at a discount.

Vader saw no reason to indulge in pleasantries. "The Empire is willing to pay handsomely for the use of these facilities, for a brief time. And the carbonite smuggler you recently acquired."

"Credits Jabba has. Amusing decorations are much harder to come by."

Negotiation. Vader had never had much patience for it – nor need. "Imperial intelligence is not always accurate. It would be a shame if they accidentally identified a rebel base on a remote planet in the Outer Rim."

The Hutt swung its arm irritably, catching the droid on its shoulder. As it stumbled, the droid gave Jabba's reply. "The Empire has been efficient and clever in avoiding such unpleasantness in the past. The Cartel is not likely to understand, let alone forgive such things."

So that was how it stood. Open hostility, if not all out war with the Hutt Cartel. Over the worthless carcass of a smuggler who would not ever use the Force. Perhaps the new Death Star would be worth completing after all. "Your co-operation with my forces is preferred, but not necessary," Vader replied.

Jabba's swat caught the droid fully on the back of its head and sent it sprawling to the floor, several circuits flying loose and sparking on the translator's chassis. For a few long moments, the only sound in the room was the respirator in the Dark Lord's mask. Finally the droid's lights flickered back on, and it got back up to deliver the latest translation as if nothing had happened. "Operations of yours are dangerous and destructive. Jabba was on his way to Nar Shadda for a long-overdue vacation, but the Cartel will be watching any misuse of property or _possessions_ very closely."

Vader had little confidence Jabba's 'palace' would remain intact during the capture of his daughter. He was certain she would be even more formidable than Luke had been, and his preparations took that into account. "A fair payment for any damage will be offered, beyond the price agreed upon today." He would have to insist on Jabba taking all his thugs with him on his 'vacation'. He and his children must be alone when they faced each other.

.

Leia stood outside the door of the bunkroom, trying to go through the Jedi meditation techniques. Complete calm would be required here.

She knew she should be happy to have Yoda's trust to take care of this, but she was a little angry he was not going to help her at all. This was more complicated than moving a pile of rocks! One last deep breath, and she knocked on the door.

"Yeah, what is it?" The voice on the other side sounded irritated.

"Leia Organa, Kyle. May I come in?" Seconds dragged on as she waited for a response.

" _What_ is it?"

Impossible man! "Something far too sensitive for me to shout through a reinforced door! If you're busy, I'll come back another time."

The door opened immediately. The mercenary inside looked up from his datapad and scowled. "If you're that eager to threaten continued pestering, I might as well get it over with now."

"Good to see you too," she remarked as she entered the bunkroom.

"Whatever this is, it has to be better than discussing my latest mission with the Grand Rebel Committee."

 _I don't have time to discuss this with a committee!_

Leia took a moment to gather herself as Han's words came back to her. She wasn't sure what was frightening her more: the possibility that Yoda would force her to choose between Han and becoming a Jedi, or the fact that the pain of missing Han was starting to fade. She was already beginning to move on, and she hated herself for it.

"I am _not_ a committee," she muttered with a smile.

"What? I never said you were, Princess." Leia lifted an eyebrow as Kyle tried to stifle a snicker unsuccessfully. "Now what's so sensitive that you can't shout it in an empty corridor?"

"A gift," said Leia, tossing something at him, "from your father."

Kyle stared at the light saber hilt after snatching it out of the air. "What kind of sick joke is this? My father died only a few years ago. He was never any Jedi."

"True, but hardly the whole story, is it? And I believe I've learned a thing or two about losing people in the last few years." Kyle winced at her tone – only an entire planet, _including_ her father, not to mention countless comrades-in-arms since the Rebellion started - but Leia continued. "I doubt even you were blind enough to claim your father never _knew_ any Jedi."

"Okay, so this belonged to a friend of his. Why give it to me?"

"There is a reason these are signature weapons, Kyle. Very few creatures in the galaxy have the reflexes and bodily control required to use one of these effectively without calling on the Force to enhance their abilities. For the sake of clarity, humans are _not_ one of those rare species."

Kyle scowled at the cylindrical object in his hand, unable to meet Leia's gaze.

"You were right, by the way."

Kyle did look up at that, just as Leia was turning to leave. "Right about what?"

"Balance _is_ the key," the princess replied over her shoulder, waving her own light saber hilt at him. "Just like you _showed_ me."

The door shut behind her, and Kyle was free to fill the room with curses.

.********************************************************************************

Two hooded figures hurried through Mos Eisley spaceport. One turned to the other as they went outside into the streets. "How do I know I can trust Vader?"

Luke turned to Mara with a smirk. "You can't. But I can trust you to take care of yourself."

Mara snorted. "I'm not invincible, you know." She turned away, hiding the biggest smile she'd had in a very long time. After a moment, she asked another question. "You're sure he's already here?"

Luke sighed. "Being family makes it much easier, but you really ought to be able to feel him yourself, this close. Reach out. _Feel_ the air around you. The tension. The _aura_ of the planet. Vader creates great turmoil in the Force, wherever he goes."

Mara chuckled. "Not even the Force likes him. Nice."

Luke tried not to show annoyance. "The turmoil he brings is his own. He is conflicted within himself, therefore the Force around him reflects such upheaval."

That seemed a little too much to the former Emperor's Hand. "What does the Force reflect about _me_ , then?"

It was Luke's turn to smile. "No, I'm not going to get into that. There's no time. Maybe later."

"Why should I believe you?"

"I've been right so far, haven't I? Why _shouldn't_ you believe me?"

"So what's the plan?" She wouldn't be surprised if she had to come up with one for him on the spot.

"He seems to be expecting Leia to come to him, which can only mean he's already in the palace. Perhaps in control of it."

"So we join forces with him?" Not something she was looking forward to.

"Again, no time. She's on her way. We'll just have to infiltrate whatever Vader's doing and try to be in the right place at the right time."

She already knew Luke was impulsive, but this was ridiculous. "That's what you call a _plan_?"


	8. Chapter 7

"Won't the Empire be able to track us?" Leia still had serious doubts about simply docking the _Millennium Falcon_ and _Moldy Crow_ right in Mos Eisley spaceport.

"This is the Outer Rim," Kyle scoffed. "Criminals rule here – the Empire doesn't give a Bantha's ass about places like this."

"Unless droids possessing Death Star readouts happen to land here." Threepio didn't seem to notice the sarcasm in his own statement.

Leia sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this."

.

Lando smiled as Chewbacca brought the _Falcon_ in to dock. Now _this_ was definitely the sort of place he would expect to find Han Solo.

Chewie growled.

"Really? Luke Skywalker, huh?" Odd place to meet a guy so famous. Lando wondered if he would ever meet this Skywalker guy. _Probably not,_ he decided, trying not to feel too relieved at the thought. Everybody said he's so shy and well-mannered, but Lando highly doubted that. Taking out the Death Star? Everybody calling you the Second Coming of the Jedi Order? That kind of notoriety did something to a person, no matter how _nice_ you were before.

.

Mara paced the small room like a caged animal. She did not know what Vader had done to make the palace so completely empty, and she did not think it was the right move. A brain-dead Jawa would notice and suspect a trap. Why Luke insisted on being on opposite ends of the place made no sense either. "Trust your feelings," he had said. "You will have to _feel_ what to do and when. I know you can." The kid had powers just like Vader, but Mara was pretty sure he was also delusional. It still shocked her that he was roughly the same age as she was. He acted at least five years younger. If nothing else, she knew she could rely on her instincts.

She wasn't sure what Vader's plans were for the Organa woman. For that matter, she had no idea what Luke thought he would accomplish here either. She certainly had never cared to ask. She had her own agenda. Organa was going to suffer bitter humiliation - and then she was going to die.

.**************************************************************

Leia stared at the gaping entrance. She thought she'd been ready for anything, but this was so clearly a trap she nearly laughed out loud. But then, she was stubborn enough not to care, and clearly someone knew that.

Yoda said nothing, for which she was extremely grateful. He knew she would not turn back. Even if he was only confident in what tricks he had ready, instead of in her, she still felt a rare surge of affection for the little green taskmaster.

Kyle had his blaster out, making a point of ignoring the other weapon attached to his belt. He had agreed to train her in using her light saber, but refused to do anything else – no meditation, no learning the ways of the Force. As frustrated as she was with him, she had to admit she had never felt so physically _ready_ for anything in her life. He may pout, but knew how to push hard and then stop just short of total exhaustion.

With the two of them right behind her, Leia stepped inside Jabba's Palace. The corridor leading from the entrance was wide, long and empty. She felt a distant sense of foreboding – it seemed to her that someone else was here, someone who was not with her, who could use the Force. She turned back. "Kyle, where's Yoda?"

"He's right…" Kyle stopped and turned in a slow circle. "Well, he _was_ right here."

Leia nodded. Yoda had clearly felt the same thing. Whatever he meant to do about it, Leia was grateful he was letting her focus on Han.

.

Yoda frowned as he hurried ahead, invisible to the eyes of the others. Neither of them had _weak_ minds – far from it. Distracted minds could be almost as affected by the Force as weak ones, for much shorter amounts of time. He disliked leaving those two to fend for themselves, but the visions had been all too clear on what the alternative was. The girl had great affection for this man she had come for. Perhaps too much, but she had shown much greater ability to master her emotions than either her father or brother. He had faith in her good sense, which he was still surprised that he found in her. Either her mother or Senator Organa – perhaps both – had equipped her to be not only the galaxy's _last_ hope, but also its _best_ hope.

The last Jedi Master rushed forward, determined to meet his fate head-on. Whatever else he might feel, he would certainly not be afraid.

.

Kyle followed the princess as she wound her way through the maze of passages, eventually coming to a cavernous area with an elevated platform on one side. If this was Jabba's throne room, the place truly was deserted. The only thing of note in the entire room stood on the far end – a carbonite casing, with the outline of someone frozen inside clearly visible.

As they advanced toward the surreal trophy, they passed several passages leading away from the main room. About halfway across the throne room, movement down a side passage caused them both to stop. At the end of the passage stood a woman with red hair.

"First come, first serve," the woman said clearly.

Leia groaned. "I _knew_ I'd see her again."

Kyle fired his pistol at the woman, and she casually switched on a violet light saber and swatted the blaster bolt to one side as she slowly advanced toward them. With a sigh, he looked down at his belt. "Time to see what all the fuss is about," he muttered.

"What?" Leia had her bright silvery weapon out, looking determined.

"Go, get your friend. I'll try and hold her off." He unhooked his father's gift from his belt and activated it, feeling a strange comfort from its vibrant hum.

Leia frowned. "She's good, Kyle. Very, very good."

"She'll have to be. Get going!" He shoved the princess toward her precious carbonite and rushed down the passage toward the redhead.

.

Mara frowned as some unshaven trigger-happy merc came charging at her with a green light saber. All the years she spent looking for someone to prove herself against, and _now_ Jedi pretenders sprung out of the ground to get in her way. Her revenge was going to have to wait a little longer.

The man came to a stop in front of her, holding his weapon out in a very basic stance. "Imperial academy," Mara muttered. "Not bad." The man smirked at her words, and she struck.

He was ready for her, countering her attack easily. The guy had much better form than the princess he was with, and Mara began to get excited. She could warm up for the princess with some of the things she'd been learning. As the man went on the attack, she leaped up in the air, landing behind him, and choked down a laugh. She was having too much fun! She needed to focus on her anger and hate to use her new abilities.

The man spun around before she could take advantage of her position. He was quite skilled, perhaps a significant challenge to her _old_ self. She opened her hand and pushed it toward him, smiling as he was knocked back into the wall behind him.

The entire building shook as if in a quake, and Mara looked behind her. The new abilities were powerful, but not _that_ strong. After shooting a glance at the unconscious stranger, she turned and ran down the passage where she'd seen the princess.

.

Finally, Leia stood in front of Han. Finding the controls and setting the carbonite to thaw was easy enough. It would take a few moments for the process to complete, so she took a grappling line from her belt and shot it to the ceiling.

The carbonite had already melted away from Han's hands as she zipped up the line. She stuck a pack of explosives to the ceiling and set its timer to fifteen seconds, then zipped back down the line as quickly as she dared. She reached the floor just in time to see Han fall forward, flat on his face.

"Han!" Leia knelt beside him, lifting him in her arms. He groaned weakly. "W… Where…"

"Shhhh. Hold on!" The princess bent forward to shield him as the explosives blew a hole in the roof above them, showering the couple with debris.

.

"Administrator Calrissian, I'm afraid I don't understand. I know Jabba is both rich and powerful, but surely even he does not own his own spaceport?"

Lando kept the _Millennium Falcon_ on course, heading straight for Jabba's Palace. "Doubtful, though I wouldn't put it completely past a Hutt. Leia said we'd know what we were looking for when we saw it, so keep those eyes open, Threepio."

"Open? Dear me, I'm not sure how that would help."

Lando sighed. "It's just an expression for those of us with eyelids. Just keep looking."

"I see it now, sir."

"Good!"

"I mean I see something unusual."

.

Leia clawed at the debris, trying not to let the loosened rubble hit Han.

"Nothing like almost being crushed to death to let a guy know he's still alive," Solo grumbled.

She smiled. How had she managed all this time without him? She finally saw an opening in the pile of rock above them, and was startled to see a hand reach in.

A familiar voice shouted down. "Can you see my hand?"

Leia sat staring at the hand while Han stirred. "Luke?" He asked.

"Han!" The voice above them was indeed Luke's. "Is Leia there?"

"I think so… I can't see anything."

"Hibernation sickness." Leia finally found her voice.

"Leia! Can you move?"

"I'm fine… We're both fine."

"Can you guide Han's hand to mine?"

"Yes. Yes, I can… Luke."

It was only a few moments later that the three of them stood atop the pile of rubble. "So this was your escape plan?" Luke peered up at the hole in the roof.

"Actually, I expected to have to get in here that way."

"Don't you think it's strange that Jabba's not even here?"

"Very strange, and I'd like to be gone before an explanation presents itself." A light on Leia's wrist comm started flashing. "Hm. Made it sooner than I expected."

Before Luke could ask what she was talking about, the roar of starship engines could be heard above the hole in the roof.

"That's the _Falcon_ ," Han shouted.

Leia grinned, though he couldn't see it. "It sure is."

Chewbacca howled and grunted as he was lowered through the hole in the roof.

"Lando, huh?" Han replied to his old friend. "That pirate, I knew he'd try to weasel his way back into my ship!"

Leia stared at Luke as the others were lifted away. Lando's voice came over Leia's comm. "Is Luke coming too?"

"No, and neither am I. Just get Han out of here, I'll explain later." She turned back to Luke. "I'm not even sure which question to start with."

"Then let me save you some time. I found a way to get to the Emperor, but I could really use your help."

"The Emperor? You're sure?"

"Yes. We can end this war now."

"How?"

"Vader. He thinks I'll help him build a new Empire. We can have him bring us before the Emperor, and be rid of their tyranny all at once!"

"Luke, what's happened? You've changed."

"Yeah, I guess I kind of grew up. Gained some wisdom." He chuckled.

"No, not that." _You feel… Darker,_ she didn't say. "Anyway, what makes you think I could ever pretend to side with Darth Vader? He knows me too well, now, to fall for that."

"No, you're wrong, Leia. You haven't felt how conflicted he is. There is good in him, still. I can _feel_ it."

The princess recoiled, stepping back from Luke and slipping on the loose rocks. " _Good_ in him? Do you have any idea what he's _done_?"

"Leia, I believe he can redeem himself." Luke looked down at his right hand and grimaced. "I _have_ to believe!"

"Well, _I_ don't have to, and I won't! I am a Jedi now, and so are you. We can defeat the Empire together without any need for tricks or deceit. Think of the _inspiration_ we can be!"

"A Jedi?" Luke snorted. "You don't know half what a true Jedi would." Leia clenched her fists, but Luke went on. "And even if you did, Vader and the Emperor have been hunting Jedi for decades. No one can stand before the both of them. We have to convince Vader we're on his side, then we can deal with him once the Emperor is dead."

" _Deal_ with him? How can you be so casual about betrayal? I thought you said he could be redeemed." Leia gave her brother a moment to respond, but he only blinked at her as she stepped back toward him. "Was that just a lie?"

"Please, Leia. I need you. The galaxy needs you!"

"Yes, it does. But it needs hope and justice and inspiration even more. Help me find Kyle – I'm getting a terrible feeling about this place."

A familiar, howling sound from above caused Leia to look up through the hole in the roof, and she gasped. "TIE fighters? Vader's here!"

Mara Jade stepped from a shadow by the wall behind Luke. "Honestly, sweetheart, Skywalker doesn't need you _that_ much."

Luke activated his light saber and gave Leia a smirk. "You see, Leia? One way or another, you _will_ help me.


	9. Chapter 8

Han Solo had only one thing to say upon entering his beloved _Millennium Falcon_. "Where's Leia?"

Lando glanced at Chewbacca before turning back to Han. "She stayed behind. She'll be meeting us at Mos Eisley spaceport."

"What's that sound?"

"Don't you recognize the groans and creaks this old bucket o' bolts makes? I thought hibernation sickness only affected eyesight…"

Chewbacca starting growling, and Lando stooped to peer out the viewport of the cockpit. "TIE fighters? Where'd _they_ come from?"

Han was on his feet. "A trap," he said grimly. "Lando, I can see better, but not well enough to shoot down a TIE."

"Got it."

"Anybody here who can use the lower turret, Chewie?"

Chewbacca howled.

"No, I need you here! This eyesight thing is gradual, damn it!"

Chewbacca moaned as Han felt his way into the captain's seat.

"Are you kidding? No way!"

The Wookie growled more loudly and insistently, until a voice piped up behind them. "Did you send for me, Chewbacca? Oh, Captain Solo! I'm so pleased to see you again!"

"Yeah, I missed you _so_ much, Threepio." Han grimaced at the control panel.

Chewie howled at them both.

"Gun turrets? But I'm programmed for linguistics and protocol!"

Chewie's growl became menacing.

"Er… That is to say, yes of course! Right away, Chewbacca!"

Han shook his head after C3PO had left. "He'll probably find some way to shoot his own seat out from under him." He looked over as Chewie said something to him. "Of _course_ I'm seeing better!" Solo eased his hands off the piloting controls for a moment. "Uh… We're headed back the way we came now, right?"

.

Leia stumbled as she blocked Luke's strike, yellow-gold meeting silvery-white with a blinding flash. She had been improving with the light saber thanks to Kyle, but Luke had learned much from his failures against Vader. A wave of Force energy hit her as she wobbled, and she tumbled backwards, rolling back to her feet.

"The galaxy doesn't need more false hope or empty promises, Leia. It needs to be rid of the Emperor. _Whatever_ the cost!" He was still trying to convince her, even as she was forced to defend herself.

"You've led a sheltered life, Luke. There are _always_ costs not worth paying. What's more empty than a victory gained by losing yourself?"

A chunk of rubble came flying at her, and she used the Force to leap over it. But another wave of Force energy hit her at the top of her jump, sending her crashing into the wall. She was unconscious before she hit the floor.

Mara stopped leaning against the wall. "Excellent. I would have preferred dealing with her myself, but at least I can finish her."

"Mara, wait." Luke held out a hand, but she only sneered at him.

"You think I couldn't hear you two? I was standing right there almost the whole time. Stop kidding yourself, Luke. Just because she's your sister doesn't mean she'll ever see things your way. She'll _never_ join us." With that she was in the air, preparing a death blow that would make the galaxy tremble.

As Luke watched helplessly, her leap suddenly reversed direction and sent her slamming into the wall behind them. With a sly smile, Luke turned around slowly. "Master Yoda. I was wondering when you would reveal yourself."

"Hollow, rings the title of 'Master'," came a voice from the pile of rubble in the room, "when heeded one's words are _not_."

"Well, if your ways are so wise, then why did they fail so miserably? Last of the Jedi? How could you even _know_ that, the way you all scurried and hid like roaches all these years?"

"Always harsh, are lessons in _humility_. Our pride and arrogance, belief that invincible were we, to our downfall they led. No more blind is the one born without eyes, than the one who merely shuts them."

"So you admit to blindness in some areas but not others. Where exactly is the line drawn? Vader may have started down the dark path but it does _not_ have to dominate his destiny forever."

"Less worth taking than others, are some risks."

"You can do what is necessary, and make things right later."

"Pfah! Who is it that decides how things are made _right_? Many definitions, does 'necessary' have."

"I know what I have to do, Yoda. I've made my choice."

" _Yes_. Yes, you have. Help you I will not. Nor will your _sister_."

"Why doesn't it surprise me you knew about that? So you also knew Vader was my father. Pride and arrogance have hardly vanished from your repertoire. Even when you were training me, you couldn't stop hiding things like a coward."

Yoda snorted. "Always did Obi-Wan place all his hope in _you_. But as we watched you both grow and mature, clear it was to Yoda that much more likely to succeed was the _younger_ twin."

"I _will_ succeed!" Luke activated his light saber as his shout echoed throughout the room. " _I_ will kill the Emperor!"

Yoda unclipped his own weapon from his belt. "Ah, _that_. Yes, that I do see happening."

As if he hadn't heard, Luke charged at his former Master.

.

"Threepio! What in Hutta is going on?"

"These fingers, Captain Solo. They're just not built to grip…"

"I don't need excuses! I need laser fire that'll make these TIE fighters think twice about zooming right underneath me!"

"I will… Do my best, sir."

"Blasted droid… Chewie, divert more power to the shields underneath."

Chewbacca grunted as he flipped the switches.

Han gripped the piloting controls of the _Millennium Falcon_ so hard he was starting to worry they might break off. He was finally able to see again – more or less. The flashing warning lights all over the instrument panels made him wonder if that was such a good thing. "Chewie, try to keep Lando's turret facing the incoming fighters."

Chewbacca growled.

"I _know_ they're circling us," Han shouted back. "Just do the best you can!" He knew putting Threepio in the lower turret was a mistake. He hadn't seen that gun fire one blasted time.

Suddenly a female voice blared over the comm channels. "Hey _Falcon_ … aren't you supposed to be heading the other way?"

Han watched a grey ship streak in from his left side and vaporize two of the TIE fighters making a run at his ship's underbelly. "Chewie, who on Hutta is that?"

.

Jan Ors brought the _Moldy Crow_ around for another run at the TIE fighters swarming the _Millennium Falcon_ as a male voice that did not belong to Calrissian replied over the comm. "Yeah, uh… Something's up. Change of plans." She frowned as she shot two more Imperials out of the sky. "I can see something's up," she snapped. Switching the comm off for a moment, she circled below the other ship as they headed back toward Jabba's Palace. "Artoo, who is _that_?"

.

Luke's weapon swung through empty air, and it took several seconds of looking wildly around the room for him to finally spot Yoda, guarding Leia's unconscious form, in the very place Luke had just been standing. "I can do this," he muttered.

A piece of rubble right next to him flew up from the ground, but he sensed it almost before it moved. Without looking, he swung his light saber and shattered the projectile. As he looked up, his eyes widened. Yoda had thrown his light saber! For a moment he watched the green bar of light spinning toward him, then he brought up his own weapon to deflect it at the last moment. Another piece of rubble came at him from behind and he spun, slicing it down the middle and then rolling backward toward Yoda. As soon as Luke was on his feet, the elder Jedi Master thrust his open palm at him, sending a wall of Force energy knocking Luke backward again.

Luke gathered himself. He knew Yoda was wearing him down – he was going to have to take a risk to break the Jedi Master's rhythm. He used the Force to pull the entire collection of rubble scattered around the room to him. With a great effort, he hurled it at Yoda all at once, launching himself into the air at the same time.

Yoda watched the shower of rubble approach, spotting Luke in the middle of it. He cupped both his hands and brought them together, and the cloud of rubble condensed into a large ball of rock, trapping Luke in the middle.

The stone prison rolled off to one side, and through the settling dust Yoda could make out a dark figure entering the room from the other side. The little Jedi Master snorted. "Vader," he said.


	10. Chapter 9

Behind Yoda, Leia started to stir. The small Jedi Master turned to glance at her, then smiled at Darth Vader. "Testing them, you are."

Vader took a slow step toward Yoda. "They are strong. Everything I would have been, they will be – and more. Each of them."

"Serve you well, does clarity of mind. A shame, that its _power_ you do not harness more often."

"I am beyond your foolish instruction. Your old ways have failed. They will die with you." Vader took another step and activated his light saber.

Yoda moved his hand in a throwing motion, and Vader's cape stirred as if someone had tugged on it.

"Your powers are even weaker than I expected." Vader clenched his fist as he used the Force to pull the old Jedi Master over to him.

"Always, has pure strength been of minor consequence." Yoda's voice grew strained as Vader's grip on his throat started to take its toll, but he continued. "Blind to subtleties, it makes one." Yoda's eyes squinted from the effort to remain conscious. "Lacking, is a strong one's sense of _curiosity_." As the last word escaped his lips, there was a rumble from above them. A moment later, the entire roof of Jabba's palace flew up in the air and disintegrated, scattering across the arid landscape of Tattoine.

Vader barely noticed. "What _need_ is there to seek answers if you already have them?" The Dark Lord's grip tightened further, already strong enough to crush a starship. As the light started to fade from Yoda's eyes, a soft smile remained on his face.

" **Yoda!** "

As the piercing scream echoed through the cavernous room, a silvery-white bar of light sliced Vader's arm off at the shoulder. Flashing sparks and hissing circuitry were all that remained of his left arm as it fell to the ground along with Yoda's body, and Vader's other arm brought his weapon up just in time to turn aside another strike, this one aimed at his head.

Leia swung again and again, her weapon gripped in both hands, her vision blurry with tears and rage. The fury of her attack, clumsy as it was, overwhelmed the one-armed Dark Lord of the Sith. His light saber was knocked from his hand, and Leia paused to catch her breath.

"Excellent," Vader intoned. "You have felt the _power_ of the Dark Side; your anger has made you strong. But you should know better than to consider a weaponless opponent defeated."

Leia felt her throat tighten as she was lifted off the ground, and drew on the Force just to keep her neck from being completely crushed. Choking, she forced a few words out anyway: "See how _you_ like it!" She stretched out her own hand, and felt enormous satisfaction in seeing Vader's feet lifted off the ground in turn.

For several moments they hung there, father and daughter each refusing to surrender, each slowly cutting off the other's oxygen. Vader felt his helmet start to tilt crookedly.

The whine of starship engines overhead caused Leia to look away, and only in that instant was Vader able to use the Force to toss her to one side, knocking her unconscious yet again. He made a mental note to have a brain scan done on her by the medical droids, and looked up to see the _Millennium Falcon_ hovering over the roofless palace. So, the fools had returned to their doom. He would make sure none of her friends would escape this time. Vader raised his hand once more.

.

Chewbacca roared, but Han was having none of it. "I _am_ trying to get Lando a shot! There's some sort of tractor beam holding us in place!" If only there was someone else who could man that lower turret!

The ship's metal joints creaked, as if under tremendous pressure, and the Wookie growled. "Yeah, Chewie," said Han as he looked around. "I've got a bad feeling too."

.

As C-3PO stared at the triggers his thumbs could not bend to operate, he thought he heard the ship creaking. Perhaps he should tell Captain Solo that the ship was in danger of breaking apart. The captain would probably only berate him for not staying by the gun, but that seemed to be inevitable. No matter how the droid tried to be helpful, the man seemed to have a definition of the word that was simply not found in any of Threepio's six million forms of communication. With a mutter about being made to suffer, he turned to exit the cramped gunner's station, and his elbow happened to brush over the trigger of the lower turret's gun.

.

Vader could see the ship start to buckle. Nothing could withstand his power! Suddenly, the ship's lower gun began firing, a little to his right, and the Dark Lord was forced to relax his grip on the freighter momentarily while he retrieved his weapon.

Threepio, startled by the noise of the ship's guns, turned to look behind him. His elbow was still inadvertently depressing the trigger and as he turned, his other arm got stuck in the handle and moved the gun ever so slightly.

.

Vader brought his light saber up just in time as the ship's gun swiveled over to aim directly at him. The blade of the weapon was able to deflect the laser cannon fire, but there was no time to brace himself with his strength in the Force. The powerful blasts of the freighter's gun knocked the Dark Lord of the Sith off his feet, sending him through several walls into another part of the palace entirely.

.

Han and Chewie stared out of the cockpit in disbelief. Jan's voice came in over the comm. "What just happened?"

"Do me a favor," said Han slowly. "Let's never, ever talk about it."

"Uh, sure. So is the way clear? I think the _Crow_ can land in there."

"Sure. Yeah. All clear. Chewie, take us up in a holding pattern. Lando, watch out for any stray TIEs."

"Roger that. Can't wait to get off this rock."

.

The _Moldy Crow_ 's doors opened and Jan Ors paused in the doorway, turning back for a moment. "No, Artoo, stay inside. Your scanners already gave me enough to go on." She stepped out into the ruin of what she supposed was once a pretty grand room. A curiously round collection of broken stone was resting against a wall on one side of her, and a red-haired person all in black was crumpled in a heap almost right next to it. Jan hardly noticed either detail as she rushed over to the passage where Kyle was.

Leia was still awake. She'd been aware of the _Falcon_ and Vader's attempts to crush it. She simply couldn't force her body to move in any way. She'd never felt so exhausted in her life. If that was what using the Force did to a person, she was going to have to train much harder.

She heard footsteps and muttered curses until she finally had the energy to lift her head. She saw Kyle - bleeding just about everywhere - leaning heavily on Jan, his arm draped over her shoulders as she practically carried him toward the _Moldy Crow_. Ors looked over to the princess.

"I'll be back for you in a moment, Councilor."

"No… I'll be fine."

"If you say so. Kyle, you weigh a _ton_."

Leia slowly rolled over and lifted herself up on her hands and knees. She spied a rumpled, brown cloth on the floor a short distance away. Not bothering to rise to her feet, she slowly crawled over to the tiny robe – Yoda's robe.

"Is that…?"

It had taken her so long to crawl a few feet that Jan was back from her ship. Leia simply nodded at the other woman's question as she picked the robe up, inspecting it quizzically.

Jan hunched over, putting her hands on her knees as she examined the robe as well. "But… Where is he?"

"Excellent question."

"Why in Hutta's name would he leave _that_ behind?"

Leia laughed in spite of her tears. "Why wouldn't he? I _felt_ him die. This _should_ be here."

"But where's his body?"

"Yeah… That should be here too."

"Maybe he's not really…"

"He is." Leia knew it was rude to cut Jan off like that, but she could not allow such thoughts to give her false hope. Yoda was gone. She knew it in her heart. "Must be something Vader did." She let the tiny piece of clothing drop to the floor as she looked up. "Where did he go? I'll finish this right now."

"Don't be ridiculous. You can't even stand."

Leia glared at Jan defiantly as she slowly, painfully rose to her feet.

Jan folded her arms. "The only place you're going is in the _Moldy Crow_ 's sick bay, right alongside Kyle."

Leia took a step, and wobbled so badly she nearly fell. "But Vader…"

"…is only a part of what we're fighting. _Look_ at you. You're done here. Besides, Yoda has…" Jan glanced at the robe lying on the floor and corrected herself – "… _had_ a plan, and it's still in motion. Now let's get out of here!"

.

As the _Moldy Crow_ blasted out of the ruins of Jabba's Palace to rendezvous with the _Millennium Falcon_ , the round boulder of broken stone exploded and Luke stepped out. While he dusted himself off with a disappointed grimace, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He walked over to it and saw it was a tiny robe lying on the floor. Interesting. He couldn't help wondering if Yoda would start appearing to him the way Ben had. It wouldn't matter; he knew what was right. It would have been better to have Leia with him, but Mara and his father should still be more than enough. The time had come to face the Emperor and kill him – for the sake of the entire galaxy.


	11. Chapter 10

Palpatine watched in silence as his throne was set up in the top room of an ancient temple. He felt the tremors in the Force ebb and flow around him. So, his most dangerous enemy was gone. But another was rising in Yoda's place. "So be it," he muttered.

The planet was Yavin IV, the site of Luke's first great accomplishment – where he destroyed the Death Star. The Emperor had chosen the site deliberately. This was where young Skywalker ascended from a common farmboy to the heir of Anakin Skywalker's legacy. It was only fitting that this should also be the place where he ascended to the position of his father, at the right hand of the Emperor of all the known galaxy. Finally, the Emperor would have a legitimate apprentice – someone worthy of defeating and replacing the legendary Darth Sidious.

For that was the way of the Sith. Power was not merely handed over, even when both parties felt it was time. The Dark Side demanded that power must always be taken by force, never given away willingly. Luke already understood this basic principle far better than his father ever would have. Once young Skywalker tasted the _power_ of the Dark Side and killed his own father with it, there would be no turning back for him. Ever.

.

Leia stared at R2-D2. "A tracer?" It was only the third time she'd asked. The droid again bleeped an affirmative.

Jan coughed. "It was activated by Yoda only minutes before we arrived at the palace."

"Right around the time he died." Leia's head snapped over to Jan. "He planted the tracer on Darth Vader!"

"Most likely. And now, he's presumably gone to report to his Emperor."

"But he didn't go to Coruscant. Why would Palpatine…?" _I found a way to get to the Emperor._ "Luke. I have to stop him."

Kyle spluttered. "Whoa, hey, one thing at a time! Taking on Vader and the Emperor isn't enough for you?"

Leia smiled. "You don't understand. Luke thinks he'll use Vader to destroy the Emperor. He doesn't realize it's actually the other way around."

"Uh, back up. Vader is going to help Luke destroy the Emperor? Why?"

Jan rolled her eyes. "So he can take his place, naturally."

Leia nodded. "But the Emperor means to replace Vader with Luke instead. And before you start taking sides, consider this: whichever plan succeeds, the cycle begins anew. And the galaxy continues to suffer under tyrants."

"I still can't believe you're so quick to count Luke as an enemy after all you went through together."

Leia frowned. "I'm not. He did that with his own words. Let's rendezvous with the fleet. We have to muster as much strength for this attack as possible."

.

The cliff served as a decent overlook. Luke stared at the ancient Great Temple of the Massassi and remembered the Rebel base that had been cleverly and efficiently installed inside. "He expects me to kill you," he finally said.

Off to Luke's left, Vader stirred. "He seeks a replacement for me. It is no secret. It is why he gathers his Hands and trains them to be assassins." Now there was movement to Luke's right. He saw Mara shoot a glare past him at Vader, and he had to sigh. These two would never get along. How had he become associated with such darkness? He was only trying to do the right thing.

Vader continued, flexing his new left hand. "It has been inevitable since I was virtually rebuilt as a machine more than twenty years ago. Even the Emperor knows you are the only one _worthy_ of taking my place, my son."

Mara uttered a low growl, and it took some effort for Luke to ignore her. "He's wrong. You're just as good, even with all your cybernetics, as anyone else is without…"

"It is a _weakness_. And when you wield the power of the Dark Side, weaknesses must always be purged."

The three stood in silence for some time after that, until Vader finally turned to leave. "Time grows short," he said.

Luke nodded. "We're going to stay and train a little."

"Excellent idea, but do not wear yourselves out."

Mara turned to Luke once Vader was out of hearing range. "I'm going to enjoy killing him."

"Yeah, the Emperor definitely deserves it."

"True, but I meant Vader."

"My father? We're not going to kill him."

"No. _Not_ your father. That's the point, Luke. He never had any interest in you until you became _useful_ to him. Just like the Emperor decided I was useless once you came along. Don't think of Vader as your father. You're smarter than that."

He never noticed that her eyes were green before. They were shining now, as if strengthened by the lush vegetation surrounding them. "No", he said, trying not to blush. Should he mention her eyes? Wait, what were they talking about? "No," he repeated, clearing his throat. "Leia was right about that much. It would be a betrayal of the most selfish kind. I don't know why I even considered it."

Mara shook her head in disbelief. "You think of these people as family, and you don't even _know_ them! Blood relative does not always translate into family. They would turn on _you_ for less, Luke, and probably already have. We could have it all, you and me. No one would dare stand against us with Vader out of the way."

"Even if that were true, I'm not going to be like that, Mara. I'm doing this to save the galaxy, not to dominate it."

"What if the only way to save it _is_ to dominate it? Oh, whatever. Are we going to train or not?"

"Nah. You're ready. I just knew you wanted to talk."

She watched him gaze out at the Temple for a moment, then turned to walk away, shaking her head.

"You know," said Luke, stopping her for a moment, "It's customary for a student learning to use the Force to address their teacher as 'Master'."

"Is that so? Well, _Skywalker_ , the day you can beat me in a light saber duel _without_ using the Force is the day I just might consider it."

Luke continued to stare out at the ancient temple, but for just a moment the corner of his mouth twisted into a smirk.

.

Silver flashed blindingly, catching green and guiding it off to one side. "Good," Kyle said. "Use my momentum against me." Kyle spun, slashing at Leia's feet, and she parried again, forcing Kyle's blade up over her shoulder. "Excellent," he murmured, then flipped backward, landing in a crouch and pushing forward with the Force.

Leia smirked, ready for the push, and shoved back with both her hands, sending Kyle tumbling backward. "Nice technique," she commented. "Still a bit too predictable, though."

Their practice chamber was in a circular room with stone archways all around them. Han wasn't sure he liked watching this, but he didn't budge from the pillar he was leaning on.

Directly across from him, a face peeked out from behind a pillar to watch the two aspiring Jedi. Jan Ors. _Poor kid_ , he thought. _Moping after Katarn like a lost puppy_. He caught her eye and shared a quick grimace with her, then she was gone.

Han glanced at the duelists again. Come to think of it, there were plenty of other things he could be doing while the Alliance fleet gathered.

.

Jan found the perfect distraction as she stomped down the hall. "Well well, the sharpshooter himself!"

"E-excuse me?" C-3PO turned, looking down the hallway at her.

"Oh, don't be modest. I know it was you who blasted Vader and got us all out of there."

"I assure you, Mistress Ors, it was quite accidental…"

"So what? You'd be surprised how many things don't happen as planned. You're a genuine hero, Threepio."

"How embarrassing!"

"What, a protocol droid can't be proud of himself?"

"But you don't understand! I possess the entire vocabularies of over six million forms of communication, yet I find myself quite speechless!"

"How about, 'thank you'?"

"Well… Thank you, Mistress Ors."

"No problem! Now, can you digitally imprint this datapad for me?"

Jan laughed as the poor droid did a double-take.


	12. Chapter 11

The time had finally come. As Luke walked down the long hall side-by-side with his father, he was distantly startled that he was not nervous at all. Only impatient to get this all over with.

They came to a stop and kneeled before the Emperor together. While bowing, Vader spoke. "I received reports from the fleet just before we arrived, my Master."

"Yes, the Rebels are here, as I have foreseen."

"They have launched an attack. Estimates place their numbers as high as seventy percent of their _total_ forces."

"They seek a decisive blow. They shall have it, but it is we who shall strike. It is _all_ as I have foreseen."

Luke considered it an easy claim to make, but he could feel Vader's discomfort at the Emperor's words. Clearly there was history with Palpatine and his visions of the future, but Luke doubted they were as clear as he liked to imply. Plenty of proof was right in the room with them. He focused on his impatience. "They must have tracked us," he said.

"Indeed. My own reports show that a small group has broken off from the main assault. It seems there will be one more participant in this ceremony after all." Palpatine paused to study the pair in front of him, father and son. Then he slowly grinned. "Another _Skywalker_."

.

Leia could see the Imperial troops closing in on their landing spot even without the binoculars. She leaped down from the rock formation with help from the Force, and told everyone the news.

Lando shook his head. "Unusually efficient, by Empire standards."

Kyle shrugged. "Yeah, but it plays right into our hands."

Leia nodded. "This is better than our original plan. Only Kyle and I will be any sort of threat in Palpatine's eyes, and he will want to see us himself. This is a much quicker and easier way for us to get in the middle of what they're doing in the temple."

Solo was not impressed. "Wait, that's been your plan all along?"

"Han, trust me on this. You'll all have to scatter and hide until they've taken us away. You'll be able to handle whatever token scouts they send to look for others." She handed him a datapad. "Once you've regrouped, these are the coordinates of the temple – but be careful! If we are not successful here, you'll all need to rejoin the fleet."

"Rejoin the fleet, are you crazy? This is all or nothing, here! And why do we have to let you go with them? You can't just make yourself some kind of martyr. They outnumber you two to one."

"Luke intends to stage a coup, and the girl seems to be working with him. That makes three even factions. I'm confident Yoda's teachings will be the difference in a chaotic situation. We'll come out victorious."

Lando put a hand on Han's shoulder, but was shrugged off as the smuggler stepped toward Leia. "I'm not letting you do this…"

"You have to!"

"I'm going with you!"

"Chewie, what he wants is suicidal. Protect him!"

Chewbacca roared.

Han turned to the Wookie, incredulous. "You heard how crazy her plan is; she needs our help!"

Leia folded her arms, looking directly at Chewbacca. "It's your oath to protect him, even from himself."

The Wookie grabbed Han in a giant bearhug, and the party retreated into the forest, Han still shouting about Leia needing help. Leia and Kyle were left alone in the clearing with the landing shuttle.

After a few moments of waiting, the noise from the others faded away. Kyle started to chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"How does a shining, golden protocol droid move stealthily through a forest?"

"Shut up! They'll be fine."

.

The plan had gone off without a hitch, until they all regrouped and started making their way to the coordinates Leia had given them. Jan cursed as she helped Artoo over a root for what seemed like the hundredth time. "This is _never_ going to work."

Han shot a vine hanging in the path with his blaster. "Backing out already? I wasn't the one who put us in this mess, but I'm not giving up."

"Neither am I! But we can be smarter about this. What's stopping Chewbacca from scouting ahead and finding a speeder or something for us to snag? Wasn't he born in a damn tree?"

Threepio turned to Artoo. "I told you we should have stayed with the fleet."

Han and Chewie looked at each other as Artoo made a rude noise. The smuggler shrugged his shoulders. "For the record, I'm pretty sure that was a compliment. And… Uh, she does have a point."

Chewbacca nodded with a grunt, and started climbing a nearby tree. Han, Lando and Jan all watched the Wookie's effortless acrobatics in awe as he leaped from tree to tree until he was out of sight.

Jan turned to Han with a triumphant smirk. "Kind of cuddly, isn't he?"

Han rolled his eyes. "Don't get cute - we've still got a long way to go, and for all we know we're already too late."

.*************************************************************************************.

Jan Ors and Han Solo crouched less than ten feet from each other, both studying the Imperial outpost from the edge of the treeline. Jan nodded to herself and left after a few minutes. Han tried not to be too obvious as he watched her leave. What had she seen that quickly? He frowned as he turned back to the outpost. His plan would be better anyway.

Jan was leaning against a tree when he reached the others. "I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be a rescue mission, instead of a hit-and-run."

Han snorted. "Hilarious. I've been in plenty of tough spots before. And I think I have a plan."

"You _think_ you do? 'Plenty of tough spots' is hardly a glowing resume. Better not to get in them in the first place."

"Yeah, what would a low-rent taxi service know about it?"

Jan's face flushed scarlet. "Kyle forced me to _promise_ him never to go on the ground! You don't think I could back him up if it came to that? I never need to because he's just _that good_! Besides, a backup plan is a hell of a lot better than always going off half-cocked."

"Look kid, you're great in a fight, nobody's doubting that. But me and Chewie have experience with these kinds of things. Besides, I know a secret entrance to the temple we can use."

"If I may interject…"

Jan and Han both turned to Threepio as if their heads were connected by a string. "Shut up," they said in unison.

Ors got the next word in. "More experience than six years as a double agent in Imperial Intelligence?"

"Uh… What?"

"Yeah, you might want to try knowing who you're talking to one of these days."

Lando stepped over to the two of them. "I hate to interrupt the chest-pounding, but do either of you know what in space Chewbacca is doing?" He pointed upward as attention turned to him.

As Jan and Han followed his direction, they spotted Chewie climbing the tree above them. "Uh… No," said Han. "But we'd better be ready to give him some cover fire."

Jan frowned at Han for a moment, but when she glanced back up at the Wookie she could see that he was crouched down on a tree limb, ready to make a leap from high up in the tree. "Right," she said, whipping out her blaster.

.

Chewbacca leaped from the tree, landing smoothly on the roof of the nearest Imperial bunker, and was pleased to see blaster fire coming from the woods to support him. Sometimes bickering could only be solved by forcing the action. He used his long arms to swing himself inside the bunker, snapping the necks of the surprised soldiers within and emerging from the normal entrance only a few seconds later. Imperial soldiers on the other side of the camp spotted him as he reached their parked landspeeders, but he tipped one of the vehicles over on its side as they started firing their blaster rifles at him. As he turned back toward the trees, he saw that the others were already hurrying toward his position. Chewie peeked over the top of the landspeeder and shot his bowcaster at the Imperials. Lando reached the Wookie's makeshift cover first, and grinned as he held something out. "Thermal detonator?"

Chewie howled in approval as the others arrived. He took the weapon and tossed it, easily reaching the cluster of troops that had started to advance toward them. The others picked off stragglers with their blasters, and just that quickly they were free and clear.

"Put the droids in the other landspeeder, Chewie." Clearly Jan was not going to stop trying to give orders. "The rest of us will take these speederbikes."


	13. Chapter 12

Kyle Katarn glanced at Leia as they were marched down a corridor in the ancient temple. Her head was held high, her stare straight ahead and never wavering. The former mercenary shrugged. Confidence was good, but there certainly was such a thing as too much of it. Neither of them were restrained in any way, which meant to Katarn that they were not considered anything close to a threat. He'd imagined the two of them taking care of everything before any of the jungle explorers showed up, but now he was not so sure.

Emperor Palpatine, known in another life as Darth Sidious, smiled as Leia and Kyle entered the chamber. Darth Vader stood at his right hand and Luke Skywalker at his left. "Ah, the journey has finally ended," Palpatine intoned. "The last hope of the Jedi stands before me, and my revenge shall be complete."

"Last and _best_ hope," interjected Kyle.

"Hardly." Palpatine sneered. "Even in her own family she is the _third_ best. Her father was a better Jedi. Her brother, half-trained, is _far_ better."

Leia shook her head in disbelief. "My father was never a Jedi, and I have no brother. Your delusions have gone farther than I could have imagined."

Palpatine laughed. For several long moments, the only sound in the huge chamber was the harsh cackle coming from the Emperor's throat. "Come now, young princess. You are no fool. You _know_ Organa was not your true father."

Leia's stomach clenched, and the objections that sprang to her mind came out in a hoarse jumble. "I… You don't…"

"Search your feelings," boomed Vader. He could see the ventilation shaft in Cloud City, where he'd said the same thing to Luke.

Leia shook her head. "No. Not _you_. Never!"

"I saw your vision," blurted Luke, gazing solemnly at her. "Of Han, frozen in carbonite in Jabba's palace. I always felt there was someone missing. Didn't you?"

"No," Leia lied.

"We're twins, Leia."

The princess dropped her head, falling to her knees. "Twins," she whispered.

Kyle snorted. "I saw that vision too. Doesn't mean _I'm_ related."

Luke shrugged. "You were close to her at the time. It was a strong vision, and she was unprepared for it. I wasn't anywhere remotely close. There was no reason for me to see it without some special link."

"So you can peek in on strong visions. That doesn't mean…"

"Kyle," Leia broke in, "They're right." She winced as she said the words.

"So what now?" Kyle was unfazed, and a small corner of Leia's mind couldn't help admiring his strength of will. "You really expect us to join your insane little band, here?"

Contempt poured out of the Emperor's words. "I have no use for another apprentice, much less two. One figurehead, but many Emperor's Hands striking from the shadows. You shall both join the ranks of my assassins."

"Many Hands?" A new voice emerged from behind the throne. "So you _did_ mislead me all those years." Mara Jade switched on her light saber as she stepped forward, but Luke held up a hand. They stared at each other for a moment, then Mara snorted and put away her weapon.

Palpatine cackled with delight. "Already my new apprentice takes the power rightfully his! It is no bad thing, finding one's _place_ in the galaxy."

Leia rose back to her feet. "I agree." She folded her arms regally and stared daggers at the Emperor. "And my place will _never_ be with you."

Palpatine scowled for a moment. "Pity." He turned to Vader. "Kill them both."

Three light sabers hissed as one, and both Leia and Kyle braced themselves as Vader advanced. Then Luke leaped in front of his father, momentarily stopping him. "No!" He held a hand out to Vader, then looked over at the Emperor. "The honor should be mine."

"You overstep your bounds," Palpatine snapped.

Vader took a step forward, as if ready to trample anyone in his way. "Luke… Son… I _must_ obey."

Leia's disbelief at the scene playing out before her lasted only a moment. Then she realized Luke had created an opportunity, whether he'd intended to or not. She glanced over at Kyle, and he nodded. As one they leaped, spinning over Vader and Luke and reaching the Emperor's throne.

Palpatine, taken aback, reached out toward Mara Jade. "My Hand," he gasped. "Protect me!"

Mara folded her arms. "I don't think so."

"Your Empire," said Leia, "is at an end."

"Fools, all of you!" Palpatine brought his hands up, and blue-white lightning flew from his fingertips. The cries of agony echoing across the chamber came from Leia, Kyle and Mara all at once.

Luke whipped his head around. "Mara!" He activated his weapon, but Vader was quicker. Luke was pushed clear out of the chamber by the Force, just as another jolt of the Emperor's lightning spread out across the floor, filling the entire chamber. The others were defenseless against the onslaught, but Vader remembered a time when he first saw such an attack unleashed. Five Jedi Masters died then, but Mace Windu almost survived because…

Vader brought his light saber up, catching the lightning in its angry red blade and holding it at bay.

"So," sneered Palpatine. "The apprentice finally makes his move, _far_ too late. Before Mustafar you would have been a worthy successor. Now, you will only die!"

.

Jan counted only two stormtroopers guarding the "secret" entrance Han led them to. Of course, those were the soldiers they could see.

"Yeah," Han muttered next to her. "This can work just fine."

Before Jan had a chance to ask him what would work, the smuggler stepped out of their hiding spot right out into the open.

"Hey!" He shouted at the startled stormtroopers.

Predictably, the soldiers raised their blaster rifles rather than ask questions, and Jan winced despite knowing what was going to happen next.

"Hey, which way to the cantina?" Han continued to keep their attention until Chewie leaped down from a tree . He landed between the two bewildered guards, but his long Wookie arms reached both of them and knocked each of them down with one blow. Then Jan spotted the laser pointer she was expecting, dancing right betweeen Chewie's big shoulders. She followed the red line over to a tree on her right and fired her blaster at a flash of white. Two, three shots in rapid succession, and the sniper in the tree fell to the ground.

Chewie roared as Jan and Lando joined them at the entrance.

"Nah, took her three shots," Han replied to his friend.


	14. Chapter 13

"I never figured you for the type who'd run away, Skywalker."

"There's an opportunity here that will never come again."

"Opportunity to be known as a coward? There's no way they could have beaten us."

"To learn the Emperor's secrets. I doubt the way you hide your presence from Force users was the _only_ useful thing he knew."

Mara snorted as they stepped off the elevator into a secret, private hangar. He would never admit it, but she knew Luke just wasn't ready to kill the woman who claimed to be his sister. Hell, he hadn't even been ready to kill his robotic _father_. She looked up at the ship they were heading toward and laughed. "For someone who claims to be nothing like him, you sure are taking a lot of Vader's stuff."

Luke touched the new weapon on his belt – his father's light saber - as he also looked up at Vader's personal starship. "Once you see how she flies, I don't think you'll object.

"So where are we going?"

"Coruscant. Where else?"

"Are you kidding? _Anywhere_ else. Even the Emperor never felt safe there. You'll be found before you've even decided where to stay!"

"Who said anything about staying?"

.**********************************************************************************.

"I don't get it," said Kyle. The pyre they stood around had been burning for several minutes. "Why not just dump the body into space and be done with it?"

"He blocked the Emperor's attack from us. We could have died." Leia was quiet, more reserved than anyone present had ever seen her before.

"Happenstance. He was just trying to save his own skin."

"I don't believe that."

Han broke in. "So that's it? One good deed, _maybe_ , and the guy gets a heroic send-off and reverent silence? Entire _worlds_ suffered from his cruelty."

Leia lowered her head. "He was my father," she murmured. An awkward silence settled as she turned from the pyre she had set up for him and walked away.

Han went after her. "Hey, look. I didn't mean…"

"It's all right, Han, there's no way you could have known. Maybe you and Kyle are right."

"No, I get it. Family's different. Even if you didn't like 'em."

Leia's words were so soft he almost didn't catch them. "Should they be?"

"Of course they should. If you can't break the rules for family, who _can_ you break them for?"

"The rules." She knew what Yoda's answer to that question would have been. _No one._ "Do you think Luke will try to take over the Empire?"

"Luke? Hey, he can be pretty strange at times, but I'm sure he'll come around."

Leia smiled sadly. "I guess you _did_ miss a few things."

"So catch me up."

Leia took a deep breath. "Well, begin at the beginning, they say." Han nodded. "I was born a twin," Leia said. "We don't look much alike, and my brother and I were separated at birth to hide our identities from Vader and the Emperor."

"So you want to try and find your brother? I'm up for that."

"Ugh, don't you get it? _Luke_ is my brother!"

Now that it was spelled out to him, it did explain some things. But not everything. "I'm still not clear on what happened to him."

Leia threw up her hands. "Neither am I. Except that somehow, the Emperor managed to corrupt him, even though Luke killed him in the end."

"Wait, _Luke_ did that?"

Leia nodded.

"So… Uh… What you said about him taking the Emperor's place…"

"Now you see it."

"So you're actually going to go after him, if he does?"

"A protector of all can't play favorites with those she loves."

"'Protector of all' is a burden nobody should have to bear. Forget about the galaxy; it'll keep on spinning."

"It's not that simple."

"Yeah, it is. Let's just take off somewhere. You still love me, don't you?"

Leia sharply turned her face away.

"Well… I love _you_ ," Han continued anyway.

Leia took a deep breath, keeping her face hidden as a single tear trickled down her face. "I _know_ ," she whispered.

 _I'll find a way_ , she promised herself.


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue

Jabba the Hutt sat in his exclusive suite in his favorite casino on Nar Shadda, replaying the holorecordings of the near-total destruction of his palace. As furious as it made him, he had to admit he'd made the right decision in getting away and letting those religious freaks tear each other apart. It would be extremely amusing to hear the lies both sides came up with to explain this travesty.

Also of interest were his sources reporting that Emperor Palpatine had been killed. Successors and Rebellions notwithstanding, a personality that forceful tended to leave a power vacuum behind. Perhaps this was _not_ such a bad time in galactic history to be in business, after all. His favorite part in the holovid came up and Jabba gurgled in delight and drooled a little as he watched the two human females discuss a tattered robe. They would definitely be performing together once they were his slaves.

.

Mara ejected the datapad and scanned down the list of thirteen names. More than she expected, even after the Emperor's boast of his many assassins. She had a feeling Luke would not be interested in these names one way or another. She didn't really feel like parting ways with him, but not even that would stop her from crossing every name off this list. There was one lie of the Emperor's she intended to make truth – there is only _one_ Emperor's Hand.

Luke finally found what he was looking for in Palpatine/Darth Sidious' personal archives. If there was one thing Luke was convinced of, it was that the old Jedi Order and their supposed "Light Side of the Force" was ineffective. To follow Ben and Yoda's teachings was to resign oneself to failure; to be passive was to be trampled.

With a smile, he opened the galaxy map he'd found and located the planet whose name he had finally discovered. The place where, according to Sidious, generations of Sith had stored and researched their knowledge and proactive ways: Korriban.

.

Han Solo sat in a booth tucked in the back corner of the cantina, alone. This was how he'd been spending most of his evenings lately. He watched the Corellian Ale swirl in his mug, wondering if he should get something stronger.

"Should have known I'd find you in a place like this," said a voice behind him.

The smuggler didn't even flinch. "I didn't take you for the apologizing type, Ors."

"Good, 'cause I'm not." Jan slid into the booth opposite Han uninvited. "But sometimes, if I'm in an ok mood and feeling generous, and maybe a little drunk, I might be the type to say 'hey, nothing personal'."

Han smiled, leaning back in his seat. "Buy you another?"

Jan grinned back at him. "I knew there was a good reason for coming over here."

.

Kyle sat and examined his light saber. Twice he'd faced that redheaded girl, and twice he'd needed help just to survive. Maybe he wasn't cut out for this Jedi thing.

A blue apparition appeared before him. "You already have your light saber," it said, taken aback. "Most unexpected."

The mercenary didn't even look up. "Thanks for the commentary. What the hell are you supposed to be?"

"I was the Jedi Master Qu Rahn. I knew your father quite well."

"Now you're dead, just like him. Congratulations."

"He helped me in my task to find the lost Valley of the Jedi. A task that must now fall to you."

.

Leia studied the medical report yet again. For the third time, the words did not change. She had not misread it. The effects were not severe enough for her to notice – yet. But her eyesight had slowly started to deteriorate over the last few months, just as Yoda had warned her.

She would not give up the silver blade. She knew that the moment she'd found the tiny formation the crystal had come from. The last Princess of Alderaan picked up a strip of cloth lying on the bed beside her. The tiny training remote was on the bed too, ready for her command to activate. Slowly she wound the cloth around her head, covering her eyes, and knotted it in place. She would preserve her eyes _and_ keep the silver blade. She would protect this New Republic that was forming from any and all threats. She was a Jedi.

The End


End file.
